Is Polygamy Next In The Marriage Debate?

The Supreme Court’s decision in June to legalize same-sex marriage across the country has sparked a renewed debate over polygamy, leaving some to wonder why marriage should be considered between just two persons. Gallup data shows that married people are significantly less likely than unmarried people to find polygamy morally acceptable. The psychological impact of polygamous marriage on women and children was found to be relatively higher than monogamous marriage.

The legal arguments for the continued prohibition of polygamy are not nearly as weighty as commonly thought. It is argued that legal bigamy and polygamy could be structured in ways similar to civil monogamy, so that their impact on gender equality and marital privacy may be similar.

Marriage under Canadian law is a union of only two persons. However, romantic units of three or more are not protesting in front of Parliament for the law to recognize their relationships as marriages. Now seems like a good time for gay-marriage proponents to admit that some of their arguments are wrong.

Polygamy is rooted far deeper in human history and is accepted in far more cultures today than same-sex “marriage.” The strongest argument against state-sanctioned group marriage is how poorly it has worked out for women and low-status men in most times and places it has been tried.

Six Supreme Court decisions have upheld bans on polygamy, and public support for polygamy remains low. The logic of same-sex marriage does not inevitably lead to multi-partner marriage. There is a good legal argument for a right to plural marriage.

Why is polygamy suddenly everywhere?

Experts say many things are changing, including attitudes toward monogamy and access to information about different relationship styles. Not everyone finds their one true love.

Who benefits from polygamy?

Polygyny is better for the economy, society, and health than monogamy. In most cultures, women contribute to the wealth of the household and can benefit from an additional spouse. If men die more often than women, polygyny can help balance the number of men and women.

Cowives and their children may become more important and rich because they live in a big, successful family. In societies where unmarried women have no role, a cowife may be better than being single. Polygyny can also improve maternal and child health. During recovery, cowives can help each other with the hardest work. Polygyny also supports the idea that women should wait two or more years to have sex after giving birth. This practice helps mothers recover from pregnancy, breastfeeding, and caring for young children.

Are humans becoming polygamous?

People in different cultures practice polygamy, but most people still prefer monogamy. But this wasn’t always the case with our ancestors. Other primates, like us, are still polygamous. Kit Opie, an evolutionary anthropologist from University College London, says that modern monogamy has only been around for 1,000 years.

Opie says that the earliest primates were solitary and lived in isolation. “Adults only came together to mate.”

What countries have the most polygamous marriages?

Africa. Polygamy is more common in Africa than anywhere else. It is most common in West Africa and Central Africa. The countries with the highest rates of polygamy are Burkina Faso, Mali, Gambia, Niger, and Nigeria. The law on polygamy varies around the world. Polygyny is legal in 58 out of nearly 200 countries. Most of them are Muslim-majority countries. Some countries that allow polygamy have rules, like requiring the first wife to agree. In countries that ban polygamy, the offence is called bigamy, but the penalty varies. In some countries where polygamy is illegal, it is not enforced.

Countries that allow polygamous marriages. Africa. Asia. Oceania. Solomon Islands.

Is polygamy increasing or decreasing?

I’m also interested in the trend of polygamy. In 2003, 7% of Americans said polygamy was morally acceptable. By 2006, this had fallen to 5%. Over the past decade, this percentage has gradually increased, reaching 16% in 2015. This year, it is at 20%, the highest in our history. In short, Americans have accepted polygamy four times more in the past 15 years.

Line graph. Trend from 2003 on the acceptability of polygamy. In 2003, 7% said polygamy was morally acceptable. By 2020, this had increased to 20%. Why has this happened? Why is polygamy becoming more acceptable? This question has been asked before. My colleague Andrew Dugan wrote an analysis of the reasons for the increase in the acceptability of polygamy a few years ago. Now that polygamy is more accepted, it’s worth looking at this cultural phenomenon again.

Are men naturally polygamous?

Polygamy isn’t about having more partners. Men and women aren’t naturally polygamous. Everyone wants more. Polygamy only applies to married people. If you’re not married, you can’t be polygamous. If you break your vows and take another person, you’re a liar.

Polygamy is maturity, human force, and resources to take responsibility for more spouses. It doesn’t hide behind monogamy. This realization shows that not all men are polygamous.

Does the UK recognise polygamous marriages?

Legal recognition. All marriages in the UK must be monogamous and follow the relevant laws. A polygamous marriage is only valid in the UK if both partners are from a country where polygamy is allowed and if the marriage took place in a country where polygamy is allowed. Some people enter into a form of polygamous marriage in the UK through religious ceremonies that are not registered by the state. These relationships don’t give couples the same rights as married couples. For example, they don’t get financial help on divorce or automatic inheritance on the death of a partner. People have asked that all marriages in England and Wales be registered to address this issue. Polygamous marriages cannot be registered.

Why is monogamy better than polygamy in debate?

In cultures that allow men to have more than one wife, there is more crime, violence, poverty, and gender inequality than in societies that only allow monogamous marriage. In cultures where men can have more than one wife, there is more crime, violence, poverty, and gender inequality than in societies where men and women only marry once. A new University of British Columbia study finds that monogamous marriage is becoming the dominant cultural institution. The study says that monogamous marriage is replacing polygamy because it has fewer social problems. Prof. Joseph Henrich, a cultural anthropologist at UBC, says that monogamous marriage has become standard in most developed nations in recent centuries. Most recorded cultures have practiced polygyny, which allows men to have multiple wives. This practice continues in some parts of Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and North America.

What are the arguments in favor of polygamy?

People have different views on polygamy. Some say it should be allowed to continue, while others want it to be banned. People say polygamy (or polygyny) is a traditional practice that should be preserved. Some say polygamy helped families and society stay stable. Those who oppose polygamy say it is evil because it is unchristian, causes domestic violence, and is unconstitutional because it devalues women and violates women’s human rights. They also say it is no longer appropriate to Papua New Guinea today. People who are against polygamy say that men abuse women because they benefit from polygamy. While young women are more likely to be forced into marrying a man who is already married, it is wrong to think that all women are forced into polygamy. Secondary wives have stood up to first wives to defend their decision to become secondary wives. First wives objecting is irrelevant because this is not the issue. This discussion looks at some of the main arguments about this topic and offers different views on each point. Some say polygamy is a unique aspect of traditional marriage and must be preserved. Prohibiting it would be a great loss to our culture. Polygamy is not a common cultural practice in Papua New Guinea. Polygamy is not common in Papua New Guinea. However, polygamy is common among some highland societies, the Sepiks, some Papuan communities, and the matrilineal Trobriand Islands society. So, its disappearance will only affect societies that practice polygamy. One reason to keep the custom is that it helps society and hurts families and communities if it stops. Polygamy helped widowed or divorced mothers continue their lives after their husbands died or divorced. It also ensured that existing family relationships continued. In all societies, being unmarried is seen as bad. Single people are not successful. They are treated badly and excluded from important events. Many never become adults. Polygamy let widows and divorcees get back to normal. It was a good way to deal with crises. Polygamy is a solution for childlessness. If a wife is barren, polygamy is the best way to correct an incomplete marriage. Divorced people are not good marriage partners for men who have never been married. Barrenness doesn’t always lead to polygamy or divorce. Barrenness isn’t always the cause of childlessness. Impotence and sterility can also cause it. Polygamy or divorce won’t help. Both barrenness in women and sterility or impotence in men are permanent. Polygamy let husbands keep living in the community even if their wives died. What if she is in a car accident and is paralyzed? What should a husband do if his wife can’t be a wife to him? Should he divorce her and send her back to her family or keep her and have a second wife? What should he do? Send her away and make his wife and her family angry, or marry a second wife who will also take care of the first wife’s children? He should choose the latter. If polygamy is banned, he can’t divorce his wife or marry a second wife to help him. A man can also divorce his wife for any reason and then marry another woman. Some say these reasons don’t apply anymore. There are still childless marriages, divorce, and family disintegration in non-marriage families. The number of wives surviving husbands is also increasing. The number of destitute children dependent on their unemployed mother is increasing. There is still no social protection mechanism. So what makes polygamy irrelevant in these circumstances?

Which gender is more polygamous?

Some people believe that men are naturally polygamous because they can have more children with different women, while women are naturally monogamous because they can have more children with one man. Lifelong, sexually exclusive marriage is a female preference, and either polygamy or promiscuous bachelor independence is a male preference. Women accept a service role to achieve comfortable and effective child-rearing, while men are free to be unfaithful. Men take on the role of providers to achieve their goals of seduction and reproduction, but take advantage of other women. Men give up some sexual freedom and take on some responsibility in exchange for women taking on a lot of caretaking and maintenance. Each sex gets what it wants, but there are stresses. Females fear desertion, males fear cuckoldry. This image of human nature is misleading. Both men and women have high standards for long-term partners. Women accept men for short-term sexual partners more than men accept women. This is because women have to be more careful about who they have sex with. Ridley’s comment doesn’t distinguish between aggression and competition in human relationships. This makes his remarks misleading. Aggression plays a small role in human mate selection (tournaments, etc.). Men usually make marriage proposals, but women decide who they want to marry. This makes aggression less important. Women know how to calm down a relationship. They do this in many different animals. Women can form strong attachments, which sets them apart from peahens. We don’t know why it’s there. Love is a way to make quick decisions. It limits the search for other partners because time is wasted. The best ones are unlikely to remain available. But it may also be that nature has created the tools to open certain doors. Dawkins says animals influence each other for their own benefit, not theirs. This is worth considering in this context.

Why does polygamy feel wrong?

Polygamous families often have mental health issues because husbands treat their wives differently. These are jealousy, poor marriage, unhealthy competition, lack of trust, and many other mental health problems.

Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Applied Psychology, University of Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan.

Sabila Naseer, Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Applied Psychology, University of Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan, Email: [email protected] Received: Published: 17-Dec-2021 DOI: 10.54615/2231-7805.47221.