The Shulanites have their own unique views on sexuality and families that have been shaped by the disproportionate rate of male birth versus female births that is present in the
species.
In simplicity, it can be said that traditional shulanite sexuality and households are based around the concept of polyandry, marriages where a woman will be married to one or more men at a time, but there is much more nuance that affects how different forms of sexuality and household structures are viewed.
Modernly, the more diverse variations of sexuality and household structure are more accepted, but cultural norms often still see them as weird and cause some hostility or confusion towards those diverse minority groups.
Traditional Polyandrous marriages
Traditionally in shulanite culture, Polyandry is common, with reasonings being that there are not enough women for everyone to have a monogamous relationship and that monogamous relationships are seen as impractical or selfish. These traditional marriages happened all at the same time, rather than being sequential.
Traditional marriage often involved a woman who was married to multiple closely related men, often brothers or cousins; this is called fraternal polyandry. This is a way of avoiding the division of inheritance as well as combining the power of multiple family branches into one household.
It is also common for women to be married to men who were close in their youth, especially if the men don’t have many male family members. Again, this is a way of families combining into one household and keeping inheritance from being split up.
It should be mentioned that these relationships are not polyamorous in the sense that everyone is in a relationship with everyone in the marriage, it is more that the woman has a separate relationship with all of the men. This does not mean that polyamory wasn’t possible, it was simply not the norm historically; this is especially true as relationships between family members are incestuous, and fraternal polyandry is often at play.
Modern Polyandrous marriages
More modern Polyandrous marriages have drifted away from fraternal polyandry, with the marriage of women being married to multiple unrelated men being more common. The men involved may often have been close in their youth, as mentioned earlier, or may not.
These marriages may happen all at the same time, but sequential marriages are also becoming common. It is still tradition for women to marry at least two men in the traditional fashion, with more men being added on later.
In modern Polyandrous marriages, it is also more common for polyamory, where everyone is involved with everyone (or at least some are involved with some), to be at play in relationships. It is also a bit more common for more than one woman to be involved in relationships, but this is more common and is more outside the norm.
Other
Polygynous relationships
Polygyny, the practice of a man marrying multiple women, is not common and is seen as an inverse of proper relationships. The idea of such practice is often discriminated against with the reasoning being that it is selfish and bad for the population/gene pool.
Monogamous relationships
Monogamy, the practice of two people being in an exclusive relationship with each other, is seen as odd and strange often being said to be bad for the population and cause jealousy. Also said to confuse and take away a potential support group for any offspring that could come from a relationship.
Same-Sex Relationships
Same-sex relationships, a partnership where the members are of the same sex or gender identity, are also seen as odd especially if they are also monogamous.
It is more common for same-sex relationships to be at play in the more traditional polygenous relationships, especially between men.
It is more acceptable for male same-sex relationships to exist, and at times and in certain subcultures it was even encouraged as a way of keeping young men out of trouble before marrying.
Female same-sex relationships are less socially acceptable and are often more discriminated against, especially if monogamous. This discrimination is often reasoned on the basis that the women are not doing what they are supposed to be contributing to the next generation, as well as taking away potential partners for the largely male population.
Single People
People who remain single, whether it is due to being aromantic or some other reason, are often seen as being odd and breaking the norms of what people are supposed to do in their lives. This is especially true for women, who are seen as needing to get married due to gender norms as well as to keep the population stable. Single men tend to be more common, and more socially acceptable.
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