Final answer:
Fraternal polyandry, a marital system where brothers share a wife, is primarily found in Nepal. It helps in managing land inheritance, minimizing population growth, and ensuring economic stability in resource-scarce areas. It is expected to decline as modern influences rise.
Step-by-step explanation:
Fraternal polyandry is a form of marriage in which a group of brothers share one wife. This is most commonly practiced in Nepal among a minority of rural families. It is a strategic cultural practice that helps to maintain economic stability and minimize population growth in areas with scarce resources.
In societies where fraternal polyandry is practiced, such as in Nepal, it affords several benefits. It allows brothers to collectively inherit and manage land, which helps prevent the fragmentation of land holdings and ensures that family members have enough resources to survive. Moreover, it governs population growth in regions where there might be a deficit in resources, and the shared wife arrangement means fewer children are likely to be born, which can be beneficial in densely populated areas with limited land.
Despite the practice being rare, it plays a significant role in certain communities where traditional customs prevail over modern influences, and economic considerations dictate marital relations. As urbanization and education spread, traditional practices such as fraternal polyandry may decline.