The Mosuo of China, one of the few societies in the world in which women head households and property is passed down the female line, practise what is known as ‘walking marriage’. This allows a woman to have as many sexual partners as she likes. The lover of her choice simply comes to her room at night and leaves the next morning. What sets the Mosuo apart is that men traditionally don’t provide much economic or social support to their children. Similarly, in other small-scale societies where women contribute more to the family table, women tend to have more sexual freedom.
