heterogamy

Definition of Heterogamy

(noun) A marriage or other relationship between individuals with differing characteristics and statuses such as socioeconomic status or ethnicity.

Examples of Heterogamy

• Edward VIII of the United Kingdom abdicated his throne to marry Wallis Simpson, a divorced United States socialite.
• Two people that meet at a university, get married even through they grew up in different cultures and have different socioeconomic statuses.
  

Heterogamy Pronunciation

Pronunciation Usage Guide

Syllabification: het·er·og·a·my

Audio Pronunciation

Usage Notes

• Plural: heterogamies
• Heterogamous relationships are a topic of interest in the popular press:
  • The Guardian: “Across the Barricades: Love over the Class Divide” (2012) by Zoe Williams.
  • The New York Times: “When Richer Weds Poorer, Money isn’t the Only Difference” (2005) by Tamar Lewin.
  • The Washington Post: “For Richer or Poorer: The Challenges of Marrying Outside Your Class” (2015) by Jessi Streib.
• Heterogamy is the opposite of homogamy.
• Types:
  • hypogamy
  • hypergamy
• Also called anisogamy.

Additional Information

• Family and Kinship Resources – Books, Journals, and Helpful Links

Related Terms

• bigamy
• common-law marriage
• divorce
• endogamy
• exogamy
• homogamy
• hypergamy
• hypogamy
• marriage
• monogamy

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Works Consulted

Brinkerhoff, David, Lynn White, Suzanne Ortega, and Rose Weitz. 2011. Essentials of Sociology. 8th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Ferris, Kerry, and Jill Stein. 2010. The Real World: An Introduction to Sociology. 2nd ed. New York: Norton.

Hughes, Michael, and Carolyn J. Kroehler. 2011. Sociology: The Core. 10th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Merriam-Webster. (N.d.) Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/).

Oxford University Press. (N.d.) Oxford Dictionaries. (https://www.oxforddictionaries.com/).

Shepard, Jon M. 2010. Sociology. 11th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Shepard, Jon M., and Robert W. Greene. 2003. Sociology and You. New York: Glencoe.

Thompson, William E., and Joseph V. Hickey. 2012. Society in Focus: An Introduction to Sociology. 7th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Turner, Bryan S., ed. 2006. The Cambridge Dictionary of Sociology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Wikipedia contributors. (N.d.) Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. (https://en.wikipedia.org/).

Cite the Definition of Heterogamy

ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “heterogamy.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved November 28, 2023 (https://sociologydictionary.org/heterogamy/).

APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)

heterogamy. (2014). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/heterogamy/

Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “heterogamy.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed November 28, 2023. https://sociologydictionary.org/heterogamy/.

MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)

“heterogamy.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2014. Web. 28 Nov. 2023. <https://sociologydictionary.org/heterogamy/>.