Polyandry

You've heard of polygamy, a branch of polygyny. Now let me introduce to you polygamy's sister, polyandry.

Polygamy is the relationship (marriage) of one man with 2 or more women, and polyandry is the same, except it is of one woman with 2 or more husbands.

You probably have never heard of it because it's rare in our human world. While polygamy is illegal in most places around the world, it is still being practiced by men, mainly because

1) religion actually allows it - Islam!
2) polygamy = more wives, more children, more hands at work
3) custom allows it (ancient chinese!)
4) men are generally more horny (yes, my own opinion, but who can say it's not true?)

Michael Alan Park, author of Introducing Anthropology, insists that polyandry is rare because it presents no greater "reproductive potential" than a monogamous marriage.

You see? Women have been treated like a baby machine (or just a set of extra hands at farm) throughout the centuries. Polygamy in Islam is supposed to have begun when the Prophet allowed multiple marriage to a maximum of 4 women because at those times, these women were husbandless (widowed or something) and have no one to care for them. So to take care of them, men can take them as wives.

Right. A noble man would simply provide for them without asking for a marriage. And as a return of the men marrying them and taking care of them, these women have to take care of their home and have sex with them and have their babies. Excuse me, but it seems like the men are getting a better bargain here.


Polygamy in Africa


The point is relationship and sex nowadays are no longer for the mere purposes of reproduction. So I guess it would be fair for a woman to have sex or relationships with multiple men.

Polyandry is new polygyny!

Okay, I'm actually just venting. Because to be fair, I'm for one-one relationship. (Islam should fucking abolish the 4-wives law - we can bloody take care of ourselves now!) I dont know how Mormon fundamentalist stand on this (I think they are for polygamy but they shouldn't. Or if they do, they should allow polyandry also). One wife, three husbands. Imagine that. Kids will never know who their bio father is (unless DNA-checked) unlike in polygamy.

But you know what's the difference? In polyandry, the husbands share one wife out of convenience but hardly ever would you hear that the 'extra' husband is being used as a tool. There is no such thing as the woman's job is to serve the husband or vice versa. But in polygamy, that happens often enough, and multiple marriage is not done because of survival, but because you can.

But apparently polyandry is a tradition that carries on till now in Tibet and some Himalayan villages.



Polyandry in the Himalayas

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Next venting topic - Is dowry a form of selling price of your child?