In other words, families made the decisions rather than the individuals involved. Only 15 percent actually had the stereotyped view where men controlled the action. Further analysis of mating practices in primitive society raises more questions as to male choice selecting for spedific traits. Love stories, myths, legends, poems, songs, instruction manuals, love potions, love charms, lovers' quarrels, trysts, elopements, and suicides are part of life in traditional societies around the world. In fact, in a survey of 168 cultures, anthropologists William Jankoviak, and Edward Fisher were able to find direct evidence for the existence of romantic love in 87 percent of these vastly different peoples.
Divorce rates are much lower where spouses are dependent on each other to make ends meet.
Jusus forbade divorce. More important, whoever elected to leave the marriage left empty-handed. Neither spouse could dig up half the wheat and relocate. Perhaps like foxes and robins, our ancestors only needed to form pair-bonds long enough to rear their young through infancy. Kung, mothers hold their infants near their skin, breast-feed regularly through the day and night, nurse on demand, and offer their breasts as pacifiers.