What is polygyny and are there any advantages to polygamy?
Polygamy is a form of marriage between a man and multiple women. In everyday life, this term is more understandable — polygamy. This type of family relationship has been passed down to us since time immemorial.
Contents of the article:
Reasons and historical background of polygyny
History has known for a long time, since biblical times, that rulers or simply rich and noble people practiced polygamy. Great kings of different eras had from 100 to 800 wives (sounds crazy). Of course, these women lived in different cities, and their number increased during periods of empire growth due to the conquest of new territories. As for polygamy among men of lower income and status, in ancient times it was catastrophically rare. They were attacked by wild animals and died while hunting, and they killed each other during wars for new territories.
To quickly replenish and increase the population and occupy new lands, men began to live with multiple women. It became a tradition to give children to several women. Later, the number of wives a man had indicated his status and material well-being.
In modern societies, polygamy is driven by:
A genetic desire to have as many children as possible. Sons are preferred—the heirs of the family.
- A desire to receive affection, care, and love many times greater.
- A desire to add variety to one”s life and make it happier (in an unhappy marriage).
- A desire to have more varied sex.
- Which countries officially allow polygyny?
In which countries is polygyny officially permitted
For example, in Algeria, the consent of the first wife is required for a second marriage. This also requires official permission from a court, which primarily considers financial aspects. If both parties do not consent, the marriage is prohibited.
In Afghanistan, all the wives of a single man live together, share a common household, and raise children together. They treat each other as family members.
In Egypt, the income needed to support several families is sufficient. There is also a requirement that the husband inform his wife of his decision to remarry. The woman can then file for or agree to a divorce. However, it should be noted that, as in all Muslim countries, children remain with the father in the event of a divorce.
Syrian law and traditions are similar to those in Algeria, but in most cases, a man creates a second family only so that his young wife can bear one or more children. In many cases, due to age and previous childbirth, the primary wife is unable to bear children for her husband.
According to the law of the United Arab Emirates, a man may have no more than four wives. However, he must provide for all of them, and all must have equal rights. Furthermore, women are allowed to divorce men, but this is rare in Islamic countries.
Also read:
Polygamy — Why Do Russian Women Want to Become a Second Wife? In Russia, unusual marriages such as polygamy, triads, and polyamory are still considered impractical. And the answer to the question “Why?” is absolutely true
In South Africa, having more than one wife is legally recognized, both officially and unofficially. The tradition of polygamy has been passed down from the past to the present. Furthermore, if the head of the family dies, his siblings are obligated to marry his widow (with her consent) and assume responsibility for the children.
In the Congo, a man requires the consent of his ex-wife to remarry. If she refuses, the only way for him to remarry is through divorce. Therefore, in this country, a man”s first wife is chosen very carefully.
Polygamy is legally recognized in Myanmar, but the population does not welcome this tradition. This is because in small communities, women can live five times longer than men. Everyone wants to have a family and children.
What are the pros and cons of polygamy?
Pros and cons of polygamy?
Pros and cons of polygamy in modern society
Families are healthy. The spouses grew up in similar circumstances at home (the father had more than one wife), so the atmosphere in the new home is similar—friendly, warm, and comfortable. The spouses aren”t jealous of each other, but try to help each other in every way.
- Children have strong families. The number of abandoned children is kept to a minimum because polygamy is legal in Muslim countries. This is because if the father is present, he must provide for all his offspring and devote equal amounts of time to them.
- The risk of transmitting sexually transmitted diseases is minimal. Since in countries professing Islam, adultery is severely punished (especially in relation to women), in families only legal wives and husbands have sex. In such a situation, infection with sexually transmitted diseases is impossible.
- Protection of women. Men cannot divorce their wives. There must be a good reason. Muslim men are raised to provide housing, goods and food for all their spouses — they do not have to go to work.
- They don”t need to satisfy their man every day. This is especially important for some women whose physiology does not allow them to have frequent sex. In this case, having a few more women with their husbands is a plus.
- Separation of internal issues. The more wives, the less work each of them has. They can cook on a schedule, clean the house together, and take turns caring for the children.
- The main disadvantages of this type of marriage are that:
Large families find it difficult to make important decisions. Everyone can have their own opinion and disagree with others. However, if this is a strict Muslim family, then all decisions in it are made by men, and women can only express their opinions (if asked).
- Children in such families may become confused because they have more than one “mother.” There is also the possibility of quarrels due to differences in views on raising children.
- In some families with fickle women, life can turn into endless quarrels, scenes of jealousy and even quarrels. Such wives always feel that they are not given as much attention, are not taken care of, and are not given as many gifts as others.
- Stories of polygamy in real life
Real-life stories of polygamy
For example, young people met at school and fell in love with each other. Then the man was drafted into the army, and the girl was waiting for him — after all, they were supposed to have a wedding. The groom returned and the wedding took place, but only with another girl, who, as it turned out, was pregnant from him.
The deceived girl suffered for a long time, was killed, and then again agreed with the man. Having learned about this, his young wife and mother left him. It seems that everything is aimed at the fact that these two are destined to get married. And then there was the wedding. There was only her and her again.
The girl could not recover from such a betrayal for a long time, but this did not stop her from reviving her relationship with her only love (after all, life teaches nothing). Then they began to live in this kind of monogamous family.
At the same time, the man admits that he loves both women and tries to provide them with everything they need. The legal wife knows that he is not against her about her mistress, and the mistress considers herself almost a wife (with such and such experience) and even considers herself giving birth to children for unofficial husbands.
Why is polygamy allowed in Islam? — Dr. Zakir Naik
