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Article: Anthropology Paternity test.(partible paternity in primitive societies in South America)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- January 30, 1999
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1999 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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ANAHEIM
THE jungles of South America may not sound like a good place for experiments in advanced feminism. But in a surprising number of forest- dwelling societies, it is the women who seem to have the upper hand in the battle of the sexes.
The 16 such societies that have been identified so far are marked by a belief in what anthropologists call ``partible paternity''-the conviction that it is possible, even necessary, for a child to have more than one biological father. One group even goes so far as to believe that the more men who couple with a woman, the fitter will be the resulting child.
Such societies defy what some in the field ...