' We' ve Paid your Vagina to Make Children!ʼ: Bridewealth and Women's Marital and Reproductive Autonomy in Port‐Vila , Vanuatu - Archive ouverte HAL Accéder directement au contenu
Article Dans Une Revue Oceania Année : 2020

' We' ve Paid your Vagina to Make Children!ʼ: Bridewealth and Women's Marital and Reproductive Autonomy in Port‐Vila , Vanuatu

Résumé

In Vanuatu, the practice of bridewealth is widespread. However, according to international and national development organizations based in the capital Port-Vila, this practice impedes women's freedom, including women's reproductive autonomy. In this paper, using data gathered in Port-Vila between 2009 and 2018, I examine the practice of marriage in Port-Vila and argue against this development discourse. I analyse the transformations of marriage showing the increasing autonomy of young people in the selection of marriage partners and the links between marriage, bridewealth and reproductive autonomy. I emphasize the changes in the nature of bridewealth marriage in a contemporary urban context and its implications for female fertility control. I conclude that bridewealth is only one among several factors that influence women's reproductive autonomy in Port-Vila.
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hal-03438484 , version 1 (11-03-2022)

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Alice Servy. ' We' ve Paid your Vagina to Make Children!ʼ: Bridewealth and Women's Marital and Reproductive Autonomy in Port‐Vila , Vanuatu. Oceania, 2020, 90 (3), pp.292-308. ⟨10.1002/ocea.5280⟩. ⟨hal-03438484⟩
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