This is a situation where if a couple has only female children and in the event of the marriage of their daughters the last among them could be prevented from marrying. Umunna (kinsmen) normally come in if they have love for the parents. The last girl could be asked not to get married. Instead, she is free to have children for her parents. This habit is to maintain the family lineage and name.

The process of retaining one of the daughters was common in the olden days but is becoming less so in modern times. It is always very painful to the girl in question but the family in compensation vows to make her happy. She can then select a man of her choice for sexual satisfaction and for the breeding of children. The man for the "job" must not be her relation. He has absolutely no claim on the children he helps produce. Another form of compensation some villages "pay" is to "recognize" her as a man with respect to the sharing of her father's lands which normally go only to male offspring i. e she gets a share of her father's land(s).