Straight women in Tanzania marry each other in order to keep their houses

A centuries-old local tradition, called ‘nyumba ntobhu’ or ‘house of women’, has been given a modern revival by members of the Kurya tribe in remote villages in the north of the country.

Under the tradition, a woman is permitted to marry a younger woman if she is widowed or her husband chooses to leave her. This means she can keep the family home which is jointly owned with the younger woman, despite a tribal law which dictates that only males can normally inherit property.

The younger woman is then able to take a male partner and potentially give birth to male heirs on the older woman's behalf.