Across cultures, sexual relations are expected between husbands and wives. This expectation is virtually a constant, a universal. On the other hand, sexual relations between two persons who are not married to each other is much more of a variable across cultures. It is argued that part of the differences among cultures in their treatment of extramarital sexual activity is a function of the presence or absence of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Because of the serious sequelae of STDs on fertility, multiple sexual partners in the presence of STDs threatens the ability of a community to replace itself. Hence, restrictions on the number of partners act to limit the adverse consequences of the STDs. In the absence of STDs in the breeding pool, no such restrictions are needed. Ethnographic data are provided in support of the thesis.
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