Polygamy

Polygamy is a word that comes from late Greek. It can be translated as many marriages. It refers to any form of marriage where a person has more than one spouse.^[1] There is also a concept called group marriage. In group marriage, all the (adult) members of the group are responsible for all the children.

A man being married to more than one woman at the same time is called polygyny. A woman being married to more than one man at the same time is called polyandry.

• These terms are used in zoology. They are under the titles: Polygyny in animals and Polyandry in animals.

Both forms have occurred in humans. Polygyny is much more common, and is practised by millions of people, mostly in Muslim and African countries. According to Muslim Sharia law, a man can have many wives at the same time. In many African Pagan religions, polygamy is a common custom, and there is also often no limit to the number of women a man can marry. In most non-Muslim and non-African countries, polygamy is illegal, and a person who has more than one spouse can be prosecuted for bigamy. Some countries, including India, only permit Muslims to be polygamous.

1. ↑ Polygamy Archived 2008-04-28 at the Wayback Machine at socialsciencedictionary.org