i guess that one solution to this model is that people are less likely to marry your young women if they haven't taught the skills necessary for survival in dragon pass. and if they do get married then it will be for lower bride prices, or to lower rank carls and cottars than the bride's family. the bride price should count as a return on investment, and the stigma of marrying to lower rank households or, *gasp*, those of markedly lower honour should stick to the wider family group. marriages are political events, not just swapping genetic material around, and i guess that orlanthi men court women not only on the basis of their beauty and warm personalities - a good wife should be able to do x, y and z, and the wife of a chief should be able to do them better than the wife of a carl.
young girls also help their families until they leave home, so if she isn't able to do helpfull stuff she's just another mouth to feed - waste of resources, in this case human capital. i'm doing field research in rural tunisia right now, and its no joke to say that girls do the bulk of the work around the house and farm.
guy
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