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Polygamy

Introduction

Polygamy means marriage in which more than two parties are involved. If a man is married and has two wives then it is called polygyny, in polygyny, there is no marriage between wives. If women are married to two men then it is called polyandry, in this there is no bond of marriage between the two husbands. If multiple husbands and wives are involved in one marriage, then it is called group marriage.

This term is used in related ways in different fields like sociobiology, social anthropology, and sociology, and in common speech. Each subject deals with these terms in a different way for example, in anthropology, polygamy means a man make himself available for two wives. On the other hand, according to them monogamy is the marriage between more than two parties. Monogamy is used in a de facto sense in which they are not concerned whether state recognizes it or not. In zoology and sociobiology the term polygamy is used in a broader sense and means multiple mating.

Polygyny, polyandry and group marriages are three types of polygamy. Among all three types, polygyny is the most common type of polygamy found in the world. Different countries have different rules for polygamy and many states do not include all types of polygamy in their laws. Polyandry was commonly practiced in Nepal, china and some parts of India. In these areas, mostly brothers are married to the same wife. In India, the example of polyandry is seen in the epic of mahabharat in which draupadi was married to five pandava brothers. Polyandry is practices in only those areas where there is scarcity of resources, so they try to limit the growth and increase the chance of children survival. This kind of marriage does not only exist in poors but also in elite.

Advantages of Polygamy

According to many scholars polygamy has many advantages and is very useful for the society as well as for others. Polygamy is a social contract which brings peace in the society. It is also known as a framework for cultural harmony and economic development but many people do not look at polygamy from such point of view. Each person has a different point of view for every thing, but most of the people look at polygamy from a critical perspective.

Polygamy does not suit to every individual and does not satisfy the needs of ...