Marriage is one of the most important social institutions of human society, ‘institution binds two opposite sexes with a tie of husband and wife and allows them to perform certain rights and duties. Marriage varies from society to society according to their customs and practices. On the basis of number of mates it is if two types, i.e. strait life monogamy and serial monogamy. Similarly polygamy is of three types, i.e. Polygyny, Polyandry and Group marriage. Polygyny again is divided into two types i.e. sororal and non-sororal. Polyandry is also of two types, i.e. Fraternal and non-fraternal. Considering the merits and demerits of various types of marriage monogamy is treated as the best form of marriage. That is why almost all civilized society practices monogamy.
In some society, on the basis of the rules of endogamy and exogamy marriage I classified as endogamous and exogamous marriage. In endogamy there are subdivisions like tribal, Varna, caste, sub caste, class and race endogamy and in exogamy there are gotra, pravara, sapinda and village exogamy. Similarly, on the basis of preference marriage is divided broadly into three types i.e. Cousins marriage, Levirate and Sororate. Cousins’ marriage may be cross cousins or parallel cousins. On the basis of the status of marriage, partners’ marriage may be of two types, i.e. Homogamy Heterogamy or the marriage with equal status and Heterogamy or marriage with unequal status. Heterogamy is again subdivided into two types, i.e. Hypergamy (woman of Lower stratum with man of high) and Hypogamy (Woman of higher stratum marries to man of low stratum)