It is striking that in no single case did a normal fruitful first marriage end in divorce, except for the case where a brother's widow was introduced as a co-wife. One recently married young couple were apart when I left the village, but it is safe to predict that they were reconciled later. The weight of evidence from gathered impression, and discussions in this and the neighbouring villages, supports the conclusion that if a marriage is traditionally solemnised and fruitful, it is highly probable that it will not end in divorce unless the household runs into untoward difficulties.
This stability is not surprising. The sanctions holding a couple together are strong although they vary in kind. No young people expect to be able to choose a partner, and normally parents do not force a marriage against strong resistance, so that most first marriages are between people who know each other although only superficially, and have no strong feelings either way. The public ceremonial of the wedding involves them in acceptance, and in exposure to ridicule if they desert immediately. In addition, all concerned, both households, their kin and neighbours have invested considerable effort, money and public commitment in the marriage, so that the couple are under strong pressure to remain together. At the beginning they have no joint responsibility since the running of the household is the affair of their elders, and they therefore have no occasion for contact by day; they are not allowed to have any intimate contact except in strict privacy, and privacy by day is non-existent. The girl is under great strain at this point, not so much because of her relations with her husband but because her whole way of life has been disrupted. She may desert, but the pressures on both sides against a permanent breach will soon force her back. She herself wants a child as much as everyone else concerned, and this gives her another motive for enduring.
In time the new bride adjusts and mutual dependence begins to develop. Once children arrive successfully they form strong