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Widow inheritance
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<p>Widow inheritance (also known as bride inheritance) is a cultural and social practice whereby a <a href="/facts/Widow/BnRePUKg">widow</a> is required to <a href="/facts/Marriage/foMxzuxl">marry</a> a male relative of her late husband, often his brother. The practice is more commonly referred as a <a href="/facts/Levirate_marriage/BvNXACDK">levirate marriage</a>, examples of which can be found in ancient and <a href="/facts/Biblical_times/qVoA0uua">biblical times</a>. </p><p>The practice was instituted as a means for the widow to have someone to support her and her children financially and to keep her late husband's wealth within the family bloodline. When the practice was initiated, women were responsible for the house chores, and men were the providers. If a woman lost her husband, she would, therefore, have no one to provide for the remaining family. Because her in-laws would not want someone outside of the family's blood line to inherit her late husband's estate, she was required to marry within the family. </p><p>In different cultures, that can have various forms and functions that serve in relative proportions as a <a href="/facts/Social_protection/Tl9GdgYT">social protection</a> for and control over the widow and her children. She may have the <i>right</i> to require her late husband's <a href="/facts/Extended_family/0xoH779Y">extended family</a> to provide her with a new man, or she may conversely have the <i>obligation</i> to accept the man put forward by the family with no real prospect of turning him down if her birth family does not accept her back into its home. </p><p>The custom is sometimes justified on the basis that it ensures that the wealth does not leave the <a href="/facts/Patrilineal/DRID1Ly4">patrilineal</a> family. It is also sometimes justified as a protection for the widow and her children. The practice has existed in varied cultures and historical periods and is a current custom in several <a href="/facts/Sub-Saharan_Africa/p4u389aa">Sub-Saharan Africa</a> nations and ethnic groups. </p>