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Why is it Polygamy so easily accepted than Polyandry?

religious wise, cultural and other wise? How come a man can have multiple wives but a woman cannot have multiple hubbies?

15 Answers

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  • 1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    It depends on the culture mostly, in quite a number provinces in Tibet ( and some remote tribes of Mongolia as well ), it is common practice for a lady to marry a family of brothers. Any offspring will consider all the husbands to be the father and they will also raise him as their own.

    It is more of a practicality call, for farmlands to stay within the family and worked on by every "bloodline" member of the family. In a Tibetan house hold, the Wife is the one that holds and controls ALL the finances.

    Of late, due to the influence of western culture, poly-any-marriage is hardly ever practiced in Tibet, moreover many Tibetans had made a run for the border, and reside in refugee settlements in India. While there, they are Monogamous as is accepted in the society of India.

    Polgamy is wide spread in the old days within countries like China, because they were mostly patriachal societies, and having multiple wives and concubines was more of a status symbol and offspring than for anything else... coz the Emperor himself has 3 chamber and 6 harems of concubines for his choosing every night... I guess every man wants to be as "prosperous" as the emperor.

    In other countries that practice Polygamy, i am not sure of the reasons.

    In General, it seems more Sociological than religious.

    p/s: Someone answered that Polygamy is not allowed in the Bible.. I think that is a mistake... Didn't Abraham have 2 wives? Sarah and her Egyptian Maid, Hagar?

  • 1 decade ago

    A primary purpose of marriage, whether it be monogamous or polygamous, is procreation. Polyandry doesn't promote procreation anymore than monogamy....polygamy does.

    In agricultural societies, children are wealth as children, once they are old enough, can work the fields or tend to animals and provide an income to the family. One man with many wives, and thus many children, would be considered wealthy. One woman with many husbands would just be considered exhausted.

  • 1 decade ago

    Who told you that Polyandry is not acceptable or was never accepted ? In Indian history, there was a queen called Draupadi who was married to her King & his 4 younger brothers. She bore all the 5 brothers 5 different sons. And the best part of it was that she was respected in society by everyone & inspite of her practising polyandry, even other unmarried princes & kings desired to be her sixth husband. This queen lived in India around 5000 B.C

  • 1 decade ago

    Polygamy comes from poly (many) and gamos (marriage) in greek. So it means many mates, regardless of the sex. I think you've mixed up the terms. It would be polygamy even if a woman had many husbands.

    Polygyny is the opposite of polyandry (from poly+gyne=woman, whereas polyandry<poly+andras=man).

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  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    interesting question.

    I'm not sure, I liked what morbid wrote.

    also, a woman with multiple husbands won't know the father of her child.

    also, since men used to (back in the day) have more money etc. (as we lived a farm like setting), women generally didn't have the means to "support several husbands".

    I'm sure there are other, more spiritual concepts too.

    good question

    Source(s): jewish
  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    I think it comes down to genetics, Tiara. If one man impregnates multiple women, this will get the population growing faster than a woman with multiple husbands (she could reproduce as well with one hubby).

    Take care! :)

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    Because back in the old patriarchies women owned nothing and men owned everything. So they had to be sure than family fortune would pass to their own sons, not somebody else's.

    And guess who wrote all the religious books :)

  • Anonymous
    4 years ago

    only in case, polygamy incorporates polyandry. Polygamy is a wedding ceremony that incorporates better than 2 human beings, in spite of the gender. both variations maximum persons imagine about (not the really 2) are polygyny (one guy, various females) and polyandry (one lady, various adult males). With appreciate on your question, all sorts of polygamy are literally not criminal contained in america. Now, there is continually a large difference between legality and practice. gay marriage isn't known in a minimum of 40 2 states. i'm not constructive what ever occurred in Maryland and California (I remember some annoying circumstances to prop 8). in spite of the actuality that, there are same sex couples living at the same time in each and every state, and almost in each and every county contained in the U. S.. nicely, I wager there are hundred of households the position the folk sexually in contact with one yet another is over 2 that are literally not Mormon correct everywhere in the U. S.. yet they don't look as seen.

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    It's difficult for her to support all those husbands when she keeps missing work because of multiple pregnancy.

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    Traditionally men have had control of more resources and wrote the laws. Men have had more money and could afford to provide for more than one wife. The richest or most powerful men can also pass on their genes to and have more children.

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