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Demographic consequences of incest tabus: a microsimulation analysis.

E A Hammel, C K McDaniel, K W Wachter

Science (New York, N.Y.)

|September 7, 1979

Summary

Incest taboos, while socially beneficial, can reduce population fertility. Computer simulations show that larger populations need less fertility outside marriage rules to remain stable.

Area of Science:

Anthropology
Demography
Sociology

Background:

Incest taboos are theorized to provide psychosocial benefits through marriage regulation.
Marriage regulations, however, may inadvertently lead to decreased population fertility due to mating delays.

Purpose of the Study:

To quantify the fertility required outside normative marriage systems to maintain constant population size.
To analyze the relationship between the scope of incest taboos, population size, and necessary extramarital fertility.

Main Methods:

Computer microsimulation experiments were employed.
The study modeled population dynamics under varying degrees of marriage regulation and population sizes.

Main Results:

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The required level of fertility outside the marriage system to maintain population is directly related to the scope of the incest taboo.

This required fertility is inversely related to population size.

For large populations (hundreds), the fertility loss is negligible; for small populations (dozens), it can be substantial.

Conclusions:

In small populations, flexible marital arrangements may be crucial for maintaining fertility without constantly revising marriage rules.
The findings highlight a potential demographic cost of strict social norms regarding marriage and incest.