Editing Levirate marriage (section)

==Background and rationale==
{{Main|Widow inheritance}}
Levirate marriage can, at its most positive, serve as protection for the widow and her children, ensuring that they have a male provider and protector. Levirate marriage can be a positive in a society where women must rely on men to provide for them, especially in societies where women are under the authority of, dependent on, in servitude to or regarded as possessions of their husbands, and to ensure the survival of the clan. The practice of levirate marriage is strongly associated with [[Patriarchal society|patriarchal societies]]. The practice was extremely important in ancient times (e.g., [[Ancient Near East]]), and remains so today in parts of the world. Having children enables the inheritance of land, which offers security and status.

A levirate marriage might only occur if a man died childless, in order to continue his family line. The anthropologist [[Ruth Mace]] also found that the practice of widow inheritance by younger brothers, common in many parts of [[Africa]], serves to reduce population growth, as these men will be forced to marry older (and hence, less fertile) women.<ref>Why Polyandry Fails: Sources of Instability in Polyandrous Marriages Nancy E. Levine; Joan B. Silk http://case.edu/affil/tibet/tibetanSociety/documents/02.pdf</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Tirosh-Samuelson, Hava, 1950-|title=Women and gender in Jewish philosophy|date=2004|publisher=Indiana University Press|isbn=0-253-11103-X|oclc=62892814}}</ref>