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3. Cultural Differences Concerning the Becoming Parents (Cdcp)
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3. Cultural Differences Concerning the Becoming Parents (Cdcp)
In some cultures, the parents and their children form the family, building the base of society. These little families are very mobile and are able to move around. Other societies are build on great families, encompassing at least three generations. These building blocks of society are strong, and able to support themselves better.
Both kinds of families have their advantages and disadvantages, but they say nothing about the role of the parents during the pregnancy.
3. 1. a Pregnancy is an Effort, both Parents make
While the woman has to carry the child and give birth, the partner responsible for the pregnancy stays by her side, cares for her, cares for the house, the food/ money and will defend his wife. Especially races with ddp of 3 and up are likely to have a similar arrangement. Love, honor or social preasure are probably the reasons behind this. This culture is used to having parental pairs and have probably an institution like marriage based on religion or law, to legitimate the connection and enforce the role of the father.
In some cultures, the parental unit may envompass even more persons, like a second husband or wife, who bring in the money while the first one care for the pregnant woman.
3. 1. b Pregnancy is an Effort, that a Family will undertake
The natural father has no part in the pregnancy (apart from the first one). The family cares for the becoming mother. The society is probably matriarchical, because it values the ties of the woman to her family above the ties to the family of the man (if there are any). If there is anything like marriage, it has either religious reasons (e. g. for rituals) or political. Males may lead very subordinate lives, being considered more as a slaves than anything else. This should work with all degrees of ddp.
3. 1. c Pregnancy is an Effort undertaken by a Pair
Unlike Cdcp 3. 1. a, the father has not to be the partner. This can have several reasons. This culture will see the value of the child and of the matrilinear heritage above the value of sexual truthfullness and blood ties between father and child. The pair will probably be married or their partnership will be sanctified in other ways. To care for the child will probably be a vital part of the agreement behind the partnership. Should work with all degrees of ddp.
3. 1. d Pregnancy is undertaken by the Woman alone
The woman is healthy enough to care for herself and the child. There is no need for any help or at least the society beliefs, that there is no need. Some cultures may have evolved around a strong concept of the survival of the fittest. In such societies, a woman may have a ddp of 3 (or under special circumstances 4), and a dob 3 up to 5. If the woman dies during the pregnancy or birth, she was not fit enough and her blood-line was not intended to survice.
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It is possible, that, although the woman is alone during the pregnancy and even during the birthing, that the society has institutions, that care for the child, either when the mother dies, or in any instance, because for example mothers are seen as unfit to educate their children.
3. 1. e Pregnancy is undertaken by the Father alone
Some races (like seahorses) will be able to transfer the unborn (child or eggs) from the mother to the father after impregnation. The race will have some bodyly mutations, that the father will be able to hold and nurish the child during the pregnancy. The place of a pregnant father in the society may vary as widely as the one of a pregnant mother, although a matriarchical society is likely. All dobs and ddps are possible.
3. 2. a Woman may have Sex, while they are Pregnant
This culture sees no reason, why a woman should not have sexual intercurse, while she is pregnant. This may or may not include the partner or any other person. This will correlate in some way with the Cdcp 1.
3. 2. b Woman may have no Sex, while being Pregnant
Woman are not allowed to have sex while they are pregnant. This may have several reasons:
- The woman is considered unclean during the pregnancy (these cultures will prohibit sex during the menstruation, too). This may be ar religious prohibition to protect either mother or child from any real reason (like miscarriage).
- The child is sacred and sex would somehow desecrate it.
- Sex would cause miscarriage, mutations in the child or abortion.
- The body of the woman has changed and sex would be harmful to her.
- A woman can get pregnant several times while still being pregnant and either this could cause confusion or one of the children is endangered or the mother could be harmed through through an additional pregnancy.
- Sex would cause some chemical, phyiscal or magical reaction from either the unborn or the pregnant mother that is unpleasent/ dangerous to the surrounding.
- The society considers pregnant women to be ugly and everyone having sex with a pregnant woman will loose face/ honor/ prestige.
- Religious dogmas state, that no one has to have sex with a pregnant woman (The gods may have decreed this for the security of the woman, the man or the child)
Depending on the cause for the prohibition, the degree of punishment for transgressing the prohibition may be quite severe. The woman may not be punished immediately, because this would harm the child (societies, that consider the child to be desecrated through sex will punish the woman nevertheless immediately). The sexual partner is a likely target for punishment, too, even if it can be divined, that he was seduced. Punishment may vary between exile, drop in status, prison and death.
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