6. Marriage and class in India The expression of female sexuality in India is restricted by community norms and strictly enforced within the family class hierarchies. The Indian marriage norm is monogamy negotiated between the families of the bride and the groom. With exceptions for families with western connections, it is presumed that neither the bride nor the groom should be consulted in these marriage arrangements. These marriages must be within caste and in addition the need of the families to maintain or improve their class standing prohibits the marriage of girls into lower class families. That is, female sexuality may be expressed upward or laterally relative to a bride's natal family's class, but never downward.

The hard-line rules for female sexual expression -- enforcement of early marriage for girls, no divorce, and no widow remarriage creates for men a virtual monogamy within their class and caste. Male sexuality does find expression with females of lower class and/or caste. That is, male sex relations outside of marriage with women of lower class or caste are often tolerated. Such outside-of-marriage encounters degrade the woman involved to the bottom of the status ladder, outcasting, and no social standing at all.

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