WonL
The random thoughts of an architect-turned- lawyer from the deep south living in Washington, DC...
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Let's Talk Polygamy
I am writing a paper this semester about various cultural views on polygamy. Here in America, the majority of us tend to think there is something inherently "wrong" about practicing polygamy. (Putting legal issues aside.) Even beyond our borders, in some cultures that legally allow taking multiple wives or husbands, it is not widely practiced nor accepted.I have read about the historical roots and reasons for polygamy. I also have scholarly articles that discuss the positive and negative affects of such practices. But I have yet to get to the heart of the matter. I would therefore like to pose the following question to my scholarly readers:
What is it about the practice of polygamy that you find so fundamentally unacceptable? Or do you?
To get you started, here are some of the arguments I have come across so far in my research:
For polygamy:
- in times of war resulting in a decrease of the male population, polygamy is a way to ensure the culture survives
- in areas where it is shameful for a woman to not be married, polygamy is a way for all women to find husbands
- men are polygamous by nature, better to allow polygamy in a formal setting than an adulterous one
Against polygamy:
- considering instances of polygny (men with multiple wives) is much more common - extremely unfair to women
- basic family values are lost - relationships must be monogamous to survive
*NOTE* I am focussing on of-age consensual polygamous relationships (none involving children, kidnapping, rape, or cases of multiple spouses that do not know about each other)
P.S. I will erase non-serious commentary. (ahem, Butler)