ABSTRACT
The Yoruba family compounds, which correspond to the segments of agnatic lineages, have a firm footing in the town with their own land and compound buildings which give solid expression to their stable urban position over a number of generations. The traditional status of African women has been thought to depend on their economic contribution to the family, or on whether the emphasis is bilateral or strongly on the father's or mother's side in matters of descent, paternity, affiliation, and residence rules. Preponderance of men over women implies that many of the former cannot be living in stable unions, but equality of numbers is no proof of marriage stability, for many women may be living singly or in irregular unions. If the latter obtain sexual access to numerous women, both before and after marriage, women as a whole see no reason to restrain themselves from complementary behaviour.
