Wealthy men often keep concubines, women with whom they might have sex but to whom they aren’t necessarily married. Though primarily intended as a companion or sexual partner, a concubine is often (overromanticized pictures of harems aside) a more-or-less productive member of the household; she cares for children, cooks, sews clothing, tends gardens and small animals and practices “womanly” arts. She might be young and pretty, but she is functionally equivalent to any full-fledged wife in a sexist society – only with much lower status. Large harems, particularly those belonging to important rulers, can breed fierce internal politics as senior concubines ruthlessly work to keep their prestige and the favor of their consort. However, with isolation and a daily routine of housework, harem inmates are often mostly motivated by boredom.