A friend and colleague just posted that when filling out an immigration form on her return to the USA, for her civil status she was given the option of "concubinage".
A legal explanation I found online states that, "Concubinage refers to a status of a man and woman who live together as man and wife without being married. A concubine is the wife without the title. It is defined as the act or practice of cohabiting without legal marriage."
It all sounds so terribly Biblical. The writer could have omitted the first sentence and still explained the meaning of the word, so I am wondering if this is another example of patriarchal legislation. Or if two men or two women live together in this way, do we all get to be concubines?
PS if you google 'famous concubines' you get first of all "Infamous Royal Consorts" (e.g., Nefertiti), followed swiftly by the question, "who was the most famous prostitute or concubine who ever ...?" Sigh.
PPS In Italy the term used is vincolo affettivo, translating literally as a 'bond of affection'.
No comments:
Post a Comment