A cross cultural perspective of polygyny

As an institution, polygyny, the social arrangement that permits a man to have more than one wife at the same time, exists in all parts of the world. From our present knowledge, there are very few primitive tribes in which a man is not allowed to enter into more than one union. In fact, ethologists now believe that only one to two percent of all species may be monogamous (Tucker). None of the simian species are strictly monogamous; our closest relatives, the chimpanzees, practice a form of group marriage. Among the 849 human societies examined by the anthropologist Murdock (1957), 75% practiced polygyny. Many peoples have been said to be monogamous, but it is difficult to infer from the data at our disposal whether monogamy is the prevalent practice, the moral ideal, or an institution safeguarded by sanctions (Malinowski 1962).

Historically, polygyny was a feature of the ancient Hebrews, the traditional Chinese, and the nineteenth-century Mormons in the United States, but the modern practice of polygyny is concentrated in Africa, the Middle East, India, Thailand, and Indonesia. The extent to which men are able to acquire multiple wives depends on many factors, including t

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Women can be multi- orgasmic and have a much broader range of sexual stimulation than men. It forces them to take responsibility for their polygynous inclinations, and protects and provides for women and children. It has been proven advantageous economically and politically for both males and females. Even in societies that permit polygyny, the conditions of life for the masses make monogamy the most common form of marriage.

Some American men take the position that monogamy protects the rights of women. ) results in far more deaths from these diseases than such deaths from polygyny (Sayres). Women are just as naturally interested in sex, perhaps even more so. Whiting discovered that societies dependent on root and tree crops (presumably low protein societies) are more likely to have a long postpartum sex taboo, and there did seem to be a statistical association between the presence of this taboo and a preference for polygyny. Polygyny maximizes the opportunities for females to marry in a society in which adult males are in short supply. Because of these roles, Mende head wives are seen as authority figures, and occasionally a chief’s head wife will succeed him in office even though she resides virilocally in his chiefdom and has no genealogical right to rule in the village of his kin (Tucker).

1957: American Anthropologist: World Ethnographic Sample. A Patani woman cooks and cares for her husband only when it is her turn to sleep with him.

The existence of a low sex ratio, a scarcity of men in relation to women, has also been offered as an explanation for the origin of this practice (Pasternak 1976). Taking aside the plagues of venereal diseases, herpes and AIDS, the male continues to enjoy himself free of worry.

Rosaldo, Michelle Zimbalist

1974: Woman, Culture, & Society.

Common topics in this essay:
Health Depts, Priso Politically, Kanuri Bornu, Bantu Hamitic, Mormons Utah, Thailand Indonesia, Whiting Whiting, Tucker African, Tucker None, Rwanda Burundi, malinowski 1962, domestic responsibilities, form marriage, pasternak 1976, benson 1971, multiple wives, sex ratio, polygynous unions, existence polygyny, economic systems potential, economic rights, sexual services wife, potential female contribution, systems potential female, economic domestic responsibilities,

Approximate Word count = 3481
Approximate Pages = 14 (250 words per page double spaced)

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