hypergamy

American  

[hahy-pur-guh-mee] / haɪˈpɜr gə mi /

noun

1. the practice among Hindu women of marrying into a caste at least as high as their own.

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hypergamy British  

/ haɪˈpɜːɡəmɪ /

noun

1. anthropol a custom that forbids a woman to marry a man of lower social status

2. any marriage with a partner of higher social status

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Usage

What does hypergamy mean? Hypergamy is the practice of marrying above one's social status or class (i.e., "marrying up").What are some other words related to hypergamy?

• monogamy
• polygamy
• caste
• hypogamy

Other Word Forms

• hypergamous adjective

Etymology

Origin of hypergamy

First recorded in 1880–85; hyper- + -gamy

Example Sentences

Psychologists have terms for this behavior of selecting mates outside one’s own group: “hypergamy” and “hypogamy,” for marrying up or down, respectively, but as with most technical jargon, the scholarly vocab contributes little.

From Scientific American

It includes a section on “hypergamy,” or what used to be known as marrying up.

From New York Times

Hypergamy happens at every level of society.

From Economist

One hurdle in finding a spouse is China’s long-standing tradition of hypergamy—or women marrying up, in terms of income and status.

From BusinessWeek

But whilst for his son he might choose a wife from a lower sept than his own, for his daughter, on the other hand, the law of hypergamy compelled him, if at all possible, to find a husband in a higher sept.

From Project Gutenberg