A case for Polygamy – Sociable7

Bigamy – having two wives

Polygny – having more than two wives

Polyandry – having more than one husband

Polygamy in England was first declared illegal in 1604.

We are at a period in this country where liberal values and personal freedoms are taken in to account, i.e. freedom of expression and freedom of religion. Proposals to allow gay marriages have been allowed, something never envisaged by the British Government ever. One of the claims made are that the state should not get involved with marriage and love as it is between two individuals. Similarly, don’t you think polygamy should also be legalised?

Polygamy isn’t so common in the UK however there are occasional cases of polygamous relationships. It is illegal in the states but 400,000 people practice polygamy in ‘underground’ clubs. These relationships do exist and there may be some who want to open up. There are 2 million single mothers in the UK, it could be that a handful are happy to become a second wife.

Throughout, polygamy has been practiced, where men could have an infinite amount of wives. However as nations developed, it was common to marry just the one. First the monogamist Greeks, then the monogamist Romans, then it took over the world of Mesopotamia; as it was the dominant power, monogamy became the norm. But there are still some out there who practice polygamy; men list them as mistresses.

A common concept of marriage is that it’s the embodiment of love between a man and a woman, but its not always been like this, although love exists between the couple; the marriage is more of a legal contract; love grows between the couple as they age. As oppose to ‘noting every fact down, marrying them.. rowing & boredom and finally a divorce’ as we have in the west. Its not only about sex either, marriage may takes place to start a family or for some, a companion who they can travel the world together with. It’s also been about politics, to strengthen ties, to show the other party that we are one.

Check out this article of a man married to two sisters: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2138349/Mormon-twin-sisters-Vicki-Valerie-Darger-share-HUSBAND-whos-married-cousin.html

and a woman who has two lovers: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/woman/2865991/Juliennes-life-practising-polyamory-and-has-two-boyfriends.html

More over Homosexuality is also largely promoted on a natural way of life, polygamy is also natural. If you choose to accept Homosexuality as natural behaviour of Animals then you have no reason to deny polygamy or claim it is immoral.

The Current UK Law

Marriage Act 1949. S. 11(d) of the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 provides that a polygamous marriage entered into after 31 July 1971 is void if either party to the marriage was, at the time, domiciled in England and Wales.

A quick look at demographics for marriage. There are 20,193,876m Males and 26,736,516m females between the ages 16 – 65. If every man was to marry, there would still be a remainder of 7m women approx.

Benefits of about £10, 000 are awarded to husbands to provide for their second wife overseas. The UK sees the ‘extra’ wife as dependants as long as the marriage is legally valid in that country.

Implications

We are monogamous nation, switching to polygamy can lead to legal implications. The most obvious is how it will affect current legislation. Amendments will have to be made to cater for more than one spouse (or maybe a new term will be made to recognise the additional partner) but also for future legislation. These include laws of property ownership, inheritance, parental rights, adoption, etc. It adds a whole new ‘person’ to society. Although steps can be made to amend legislation, this major reform will be a burden on the government that they just can not afford.

Secondly, there are the financial aspects, it costs a man an arm and a leg to look after one wife, what will he have to sacrifice for two.. or three? With the economic climate and the vast amount of cuts to benefits. How can you expect a man to provide for both wives (+children).

Adibah Jodi, a representative of Sisters in Islam, a Malaysian women’s advocacy group, “We do not oppose polygamy, but we believe that monogamy is preferable, because the men seem too stretched to devote enough time and money to them.”

Another problem is that Men may not ask for permission from the first wife, or abuse the opportunity. We’ve seen men walking out of the lives of their pregnant wives/girlfriends, if that’s common then what makes you think he won’t want a 2nd wife. This could break down families and lead to divorce, with 47% of marriages leading to divorce already, the addition isn’t what the government needs. Throughout the Middle East where polygamy is legal, there have been developments to ensure the wife is not wronged for e.g. In Egypt, the husband will need written permission from the wife to grant him permission to marry again.

And finally moving on to Feminists, always a problem, dare I say! The essence of the feminist movement is to remove barriers placed by society (or men) that disallow women to behave freely especially when it comes to progressing and becoming independent women. If polygamy leaves a woman oppressed, feminists wont be too happy however if a wife will-fully accepts a second wife, then it is something they will endorse. However as it will be allowing a man to marry more than one woman, they will jump the hoard & also want a woman to be able to marry more than one man.

Islam and Polygamy

Traditionally Muslims have practiced polygamy, as did the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). The act has been permitted in the Qu’ran; Islam allows a man to marry up to four times but on the condition that all are treated equally, if this can not happen then it is mandatory to marry only one. But as we see around the Muslim world, polygamy is not so widespread; with the nature of a woman’s need to yap on and buy lavish clothing regularly, men have resorted to one wife only.

Dr. Mercier says: “Woman is by nature monogamist; man has in him the element of polygamist.” (Conduct and its Disorders Biologically Considered, pp.292-293)

After Nazi Germany, there were six million women who could not find a husband, this was always common when going to war was mandatory for men. Muslims were encouraged to take up widows and single women, this wasn’t anything sexual but a means to provide for them, to keep them secure. Islam does not encourage the individual to marry more than once but does keep the option open. Maybe we should allow this practice in the UK too?

Finally on a personal note, I know various women who are happy to be a second wife, they have their reasons but its worth opening up to this ‘breed’ of society.

External Links:

✽ Polygamy is equality
✽ Polygamy 911 – Great blogger of real Polygamist with experiences & tips
✽ One bride for 5 brothers
✽ 18 Tips for the Polygamous husband

A case for Polygamy – Sociable7

The Current UK Law

Implications

Islam and Polygamy

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