Why do people engage in polygamy?

Answer 1

You should realize polygamy is the act of having multiple spouses. Such as one man, and 2 or more women as his wives (as is generally the case in polygamy). They would still have to agree to the marriage anyways, so they must find it at least somewhat acceptable.

Polygamy is usually accepted and practiced in only a few cultural regions, and/or in certain religious branches. I've only heard of some branch of the Mormon religion practiced polygamy..

If you mean why are men always chasing women, think about it from an evolutionary standpoint. You start out with two guys. Guy 1 possesses trait A, where he falls for one girl and only one girl. Guy 2 possesses trait B, where he does anything that moves (and possibly some things that don't). Now, Let's assume each son procreates like his father. Let's say guys with trait A have 3 sons with their wife. Also, let's say guys with trait B have one son with 10 women. For the carriers of trait A for generation n you have 3^n. For the carriers of trait B for generation n you have 10^n. (Previous carriers are not counted in generation n for simplicity.) Table: n - Carriers of A - Carriers of B * 0 - 1 - 1 * 1 - 3 - 10 * 2 - 9 - 100 * 3 - 27 - 1,000 * 4 - 81 - 10,000 * 5 - 243 - 100,000 * 6 - 729 - 1,000,000 Now, we made a lot of assumptions here, but after only 6 generations there are one million carriers of B and less than one thousand carriers of A. If you are a follower of the biological model of psychiatry, you can easily see how someone promiscuous can out procreate someone who is not. Of course, I have not researched this at all, it is just a pet theory of mine. Take it as you will. Also keep in mind, the B guys are the ones who are chasing you and brazenly approching you in bars. The A guys probably arn't. (Again, unresearched theory.) Actually the majority of cultures are polygamous (actually polygynous - having more than one women, polygamous- having more than one spouse, polyandrous- having more than one husband) Its just that the monogamous have the overwhelming populations. Check the anthropology texts if you don't believe me. An the overwhelming number of animal and plant species are polygynous as well - mostly for the reason given above. Humans as a species are polygynous as well as are their closest animal relatives. The simple answer I guess would be because it is in our evolutionary history and makes economical sense.

Answer 2

Polygamy is a system where traditionally a man can have more then one woman as a wife. The reason for this is simple Many men would like to have more sex then one woman is willing to give them. or perhaps want more blood of springs then they can have with one woman. In any case if there is no social taboo on this practice then there is no reason why this would not take place. I know of several situations in our western society where this takes place without the legal paperwork being done, because that would be illegal. however the wives would still have common law rights as spouses should it ever come to it. In this day and age of change it will only be a matter of time before we see big changes in the status quo where women will be doing the same with more then one man.

Answer 3

There are serious economic benefits to polygamy, as can be seen from the plant and animal world. People benefit in the same way. Most it has to do with your genetic success. The best males produce the most children who receive the benefit of genetic fitness.

Answer 4

People practice polygamy for various reasons. One of the most popular, at least in the western world, is religion. Most polygamists in the west do so because it is a part of their faith. Christians who practice polygamy cite the faithful Old Testament men who had multiple wives. Muslims follow the Qur'an, which says that a man can have up to three wives.

Outside of the western world, polygamy is actually really common. It is simply a part of the culture. Just as in America a typical marriage is one man and one woman, in other countries a typical marriage is one man and several women.

Other than these reasons, some people just have a desireto live polygamously. Even if it is not a part of their religion or culture, they are interested in that lifestyle and want to live that way.