bureaugamy

English

Etymology

From bureau +‎ -gamy.

Noun

bureaugamy (uncountable)

1. marriage (literal or metaphorical) to a bureaucracy
   • 1999, Publisher's Weekly review of The Decline of Males, March 29, 1999

     The ancient mammalian unit of mother and child has morphed into a "bureaugamy," as single mothers find government assistance a more satisfying partner than a confused male.

   • 2011, November 15, 2011

     If bureaugamy is the marriage of citizen to the bureaucratic state, then what we really have is an arranged marriage shotgun wedding.

   • 2012, May 5, 2012

     In 1999 Lionel Tiger coined the word ‘bureaugamy’ to refer to the relationship between officially impoverished mothers of illegitimate children and the government.

Derived terms

• bureaugamous (adjective)