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Polygyny is a form of polygamy entailing the marriage of a man to several women. The term polygyny is from Neoclassical Greek πολυγυνία (polugunía); from Ancient Greek πολύ (polú) 'many', and γυνή (gunḗ) 'woman, wife'.
Polygamy is the practice of marrying multiple spouses. When a man is married to more than one wife at the same time, it is called polygyny. When a woman is married to more than one husband at the same time, it is called polyandry. In sociobiology and zoology, researchers use polygamy in a broad sense to mean any form of multiple mating.
Traditional Sunni and Shia Islamic marital jurisprudence allows Muslim men to be married to multiple women. Men can have up to four wives at a time according to the islamic jurisprudence.
Polygamy is the practice of having more than one spouse at the same time. Specifically, polygyny is the practice of one man taking more than one wife while polyandry is the practice of one woman taking more than one husband. Polygamy is a common marriage pattern in some parts of the world. In North America, polygamy has not been a culturally normative or legally recognized institution since the continent's colonization by Europeans.
Polygamy is "the practice or custom of having more than one wife or husband at the same time." Polygamy has been practiced by many cultures throughout history.
Polygamous unions are legal in the United Arab Emirates Muslim polygamy, in practice and law, differs greatly throughout the Islamic world. In some Muslim countries, polygamy is relatively common, while in most others, it is often rare or non-existent. Polygamy is practiced by Muslims in certain regions in West Africa, as well as in certain traditionalist Arabian states such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Polygamy in Pakistan is legally permissible, according to the law of 1961, but restricted to Muslim men, who may have a maximum of four wives at one time. However it is illegal for Hindus as per the Hindu marriage law.
Like many nations in the Muslim world, polygyny is legal in Bahrain. However, according to the Bahrain Center for Human Rights' write-up on women's rights in Bahrain at the present time, polygamy is only practiced by a minority of Bahraini citizens, though unlike most nations, levels of education and areas of habitation do not play a strong role in statistics composed of citizens practicing polygamy. Between 2010 and 2015, the polygamy rate in Bahrain was 5.16 percent.
Tunisia became the first Arab state to formally abolish polygamy in 1956, the same year it gained official independence.
The practice of what is usually called polygamy, enjoys de facto and de jure legality in Kenya. It is to be understood as polygyny, however.
While polygamous marriages are not legally recognized under Malawi's civil marriage laws, customary law affords a generous amount of benefits to polygamous unions, ranging from inheritance rights to child custody. It has been estimated that nearly one in five women in Malawi live in polygamous relationships.
The Republic of Afghanistan, which is an Islamic Republic under Sharia Law, allows for polygyny. Afghan men may take up to four wives, as Islam allows for such. A man must treat all of his wives equally; however, it has been reported that these regulations are rarely followed. While the Qur'an states that a man is allowed a maximum of four wives, there is an unspecified number of women allowed to be his 'concubines'. These women are considered unprotected and need a man as a guardian.
Though legally prohibited since 1962, polygamy is still marginally practiced in Rwanda. Polygyny is the only form traditionally practiced. It is most prevalent in rural areas, older generations, and adherents of traditional/animist religion. In 2012, 5.4% of rural men were in polygynous unions; this included 15% of rural men over 80 years old but less than 3% of men under 30, with the average number of wives being two. Animism has the greatest proportion of polygynous men, followed by non-religious men and Islam. However, the vast majority of polygynous men are Christian. Polygyny has been in decline since the first census data in 1978.
Polygamous marriages are legally recognized for men in Saudi Arabia, in accordance with Islamic Sharia law, which allows for Muslim men to marry up to four wives, provided that he treats them equally and shares all his wealth equally. However, attitudes towards polygamy in Saudi Arabia have changed in recent decades and became very rare to practice it in the present times.
The legal status of polygamy varies widely around the world. Polygyny is legal in 58 out of nearly 200 sovereign states, the vast majority of them being Muslim-majority countries. Some countries that permit polygamy have restrictions, such as requiring the first wife to give her consent.
Polygamy is illegal in Ghana, but the restrictions are not heavily enforced. Polygamous marriages are illegal under civil law, though are arguably considered to be legal under customary law. Despite these exceptions, there have been no reports of a legally contracted polygamous marriage in Ghana; and are considered to be "de facto" illegal. An estimated 22% of Ghanaian women live polygamously.
Janet Benson Bennion is Professor of Anthropology at Lyndon State College, Vermont, United States. She specializes in gender dynamics in Mormon fundamentalist communities which practice polygamy. Bennion is one of the world's leading ethnographers of North American plural marriage. She has raised the question of decriminalization of plural marriage in a variety of radio and television forums and several international scholar venues at Brandeis University and the European University Institute in Florence, Italy.
Polygamy as polygyny in most of Syria is restricted. After the outbreak of the Syrian Civil War, the Kurdish Rojava inhabited regions outlawed polygamy in the northeastern parts of Syria that fell under their de facto control. In Raqqa, Deir al-Zor, and Manbij, local administrative did not implement the law against polygamy, but in Qamishli, Serekaniye, and Kobani, have.
Polygamy is the practice of having more than one spouse at the same time. Specifically, polygyny is the practice of one man taking more than one wife while polyandry is the practice of one woman taking more than one husband. Polygamy is legal in Malaysia in the form of polygyny, that is, between one man and up to four wives. Special permission from an individual state's Syariah Court is required for each marriage after the first by fulfilling the requirements needed by the state's Syariah Law.
Polygamy in Africa has existed throughout the history of Africa. Polygamy, particularly polygyny, is a highly valued social institution in Africa. Polygamy is a marriage between a man or woman and their multiple spouses. Polygyny is a marriage between a man and multiple wives. Polyandry is a marriage between a woman and multiple husbands. A common expectation for African kings in African societies is for African kings to symbolically unify his kingdom and the society through partaking in polygamous marriages with wives from a broad range of clans within the society. By doing so, the king reduces the chance of dissident and rival forces developing and rising against him.
References
- ↑ Grant, Alexis (13 November 2008). "In Modern Cameroon polygamy doesn't pay". Archived from the original on 10 February 2009. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
