African Polygamy Essay

There are not very many people that practice polygamy and those that don’t practice polygamy do not support it. Polygamist does not follows the norms in society nor do they practice traditional marriage. Polygamy has been documented in the bible, but men like Abraham, or Jacob had two or more wives. Often those that practice this form of marriage are often religious and believe that they will ascend to a higher place after death by reproduction and teaching their children

Polygamy is the practice or custom of having more than one wife or husband at the same time. Polyandry is a form of polygamy where a woman can marry more than one man at the same time, and polygyny is another form of polygamy where a man is allowed to have more than one wife. Polygamy is more known than polyandry. Polygamy is permitted in countries like Australia, Afghanistan, Iran, and Africa, and in other countries like the United States, England, Spain, and Mexico it is not permitted. Many view Polygamy as a sexual desire and satisfaction to be with more than just one man or woman, but for many cultural reasons, man and woman may have more than one wife or husband. As discussed in the video, the meaning of love & polygamy, the positive outcomes of having more than one wife or husband is so they can be provided each other with help.

ReferencesAugust, P. (2005, October). Arranged Marriages in the Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arranged_marriageBowman, H. & Spanier, G. (1978). Modern Marriage. McGraw-Hill Book Company.

Could you imagine living in a world where it is acceptable for a man to marry more than one woman and be open about it? Not many can and that is why the practice of polygamy such is seen as taboo. The families usually live very private lives and they do not interact with a lot of the rest of America due to anti-bigamy society we live in. Polygamy is the practice of being married to more than one person at the same time (Webster 2015). This is not to be confused with an open relationship or an open marriage. This topic has been viewed and deemed as controversial for many years. As a practice that was not accepted in the public eye, it recently has gained more attention with mainstream media and culture. With shows on television such as “Sister

When there is tension among the wives of one man in a polygamous society, the tension is often caused by:

In Dena Hassouneh-Phillips’ article, “Polygamy and Wife Abuse: A Qualitative Study of Muslim Women in America,” she notes a report from a second wife who felt insignificant in her polygamous marriage due to the lack of attention

In this age of freedom and personal choice, where previously banned and frowned up lifestyles are accepted, polygamy should become a lifestyle choice. This is the opinion of people who live this lifestyle. “Loving them is simple. It’s one of those things you do unconsciously…and your way of being that you never question it.”(Brown 27). The sister wives must have respect for the people

Relationships can either be monogamous or non-monogamous in nature and its definitions and functions can vary. A monogamous relationship is traditionally characterised by two individuals who have dependent children or also as a ‘nuclear family.’ Monogamy is a hetero-normative practice that involves two individuals in a relationship; the couple is not engaged in extramarital intimacy. Nuclear families also fall under this practice. Polyamory is a non-monogamous practice that refers to multiple intimate partners and experiences. However, some scholars argue that if, or when one individual engages in infidelity, Polyamory is a viable option to sustain the relationship. Academic research positions Polyamory as an option that may successfully

Despite the argument that polygamist lifestyles are easier, polygamy has proven time and time again, to be a terrible lifestyle that has been dolled up to look like something that it is not. Polygamist families are often unable to meet their basic needs, “In spite of our poverty, my husband continued to marry other wives. I almost died from typhoid fever and my first baby died” (Spencer 1). The health and well-being is the last thing on the mind of a husband living in polygamy because he is constantly wanting more for himself. All of the sister wives are so in love with their husband, what they do not know is that he does not really love them, if he did he would

According to a 2012 study, monogamy has a crucial advantage over polygyny: “the more egalitarian distribution of women, which reduces male competition and social problems”. Not only does it reduce male competition and social problems between individuals, but monogamous marriage also “results in significant improvements in child welfare, including lower rates of neglect, abuse, accidental death, homicide and intra-household conflict” (Friedersdorf, 2015). By shifting male efforts from seeking wives to paternal investment, systematised monogamy increases long-term planning, economic productivity, savings and child investment. Nonetheless, when a high-status man takes two wives, a lower-status man gets no wife. If the high-status man takes three wives, two lower-status men get no wives. This “competitive, zero-dynamic sets off a competition among high-status men in who’s going to get the most wives” (Friedersdorf, 2015), which leaves lower-status men out in the cold. Those men, denied access to life’s most stabilising and civilising institution, are fairly disadvantaged and often turn to behaviours like crime and violence. Thus, polygamy should not be legalised as it creates tension and competition between

Within the polygamist communities, which are primarily focused on the Utah-Arizona border, and in Bountiful, Canada, there is much already known about polygamy and the women within the confines of polygamy, according to my extensive research in the last few months of 2017.

many societies have cultural rules that permit marrying multiple partners, but, economic realities often interfere with a man’s ability to

The first wife become the head wife and holds the greatest status, but the last or recent wife is the favorite; probably because, the recent woman is young and attractive to the man at the time. Once the man married his first wife, mate selection for her husband becomes her responsibility. The man ask his wife to propose marriage to a woman he admire. On the other hand, the sees a beautiful and hard working girl and she propose marriage on behave of her husband. The woman justified that the house work is too much for her and that she needs a help mate.

In industrialized societies, it is something that has been made illegal, and is considered deviant. When most people think of polygamy they think of polygyny, the marriage of one man with multiple wives, and endless children. Here in the United States the most common occurrence of polygamy was in the 1800s, through the Mormon religion, and more specifically the Church of Jesus Christ and the Latter-Day Saints. Through the reading of the Bible, the leader of the Latter-Day Saints church, Joseph Smith, had revelations that encouraged him take a second wife as many of the members of the Old Testament had done. The rest of the United States reacted negatively to polygamy and Congress passed several laws prohibited polygamy. However, Mormons continued to practice polygamy despite these laws because they believed it was within their right to do so based on the Bill of Rights which protected freedom of religion (Embry 2016).

The topic has a close connection to the Humanities and Social Sciences field as it raises an issue of women’s marginalization and oppression being a part of polygamy implementation in society. In contemporary world when the women rights movements and feminism ideology play a prominent role in the international community, polygamy and its effects on women cannot remain unnoticed. Functioning on a base of religious beliefs, culture or traditions, polygamy in many communities is considered as an inevitable part of people’s lives. Therefore, it is important to examine the presence and extent of mental disorders of women as a result of involvement in polygamous family structure. Moreover, this paper will aim to prove the negative impact of