1. Elle Phillips & Sarah Zemach
Polygamy
Elle Phillips
&
Sarah Zemach

2. Polygamy is…
Derived from Greek term Polys Gamos meaning: “the practice of multiple marriage”
Polygamy can be defined as any form of marriage in which a person has more than one spouse at the same time. (1)

3. Polygyny, Polyandry, Group Marriage, Serial Monogamy, Polyamory Bigamy
Types of Polygamy
Polygyny,
Polyandry,
Group Marriage,
Serial Monogamy,
Polyamory
Bigamy

4. Polygamy Polygyny Polyandry Polyamory Serial Monogamy Group Marriage
Bigamy

5. Polygyny One man having multiple wives
Practiced in: Ancient Hebrew Society, Classical China, and traditional Native American, African, and Polynesian cultures, accepted in Greece until the time of the Roman Empire.
In the United States, polygyny or "Plural Marriage" was allowed in the early history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) Church until
Sororal polygyny is a type of marriage in which two or more sisters share a husband

6. Polygyny in Context The Hebrew Bible, Judaism, Christianity, Asia,
Islam,
United States,
Nature

7. The Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible shows that polygyny was practiced by the ancient Hebrews, but the practice was not common.
The practice was discouraged against but not prohibited
The Bible mentions approximately forty polygynists.
Levirate marriage was a positive provision towards polygyny
The Torah, the Five Books of Moses, include regulations:
Exodus 21:10
Deuteronomy 21:15-17 
Deuteronomy 17:17

8. Judaism
 Ashkenazi Jews have followed Rabbenu Gershom’s ban on polygyny .
 Mizrahi Jewish communities (Yemenite and Persian Jews) discontinued polygyny much more recently
Bedouin Jews
 Karaite Jews

9. Christianity
A belief among some Christians in the United States is that polygyny is wrong and cite for example Matthew 19:4-6:
He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?  So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” (2)
Many say the new testament did ban polgyny for Bishops in 1 Timothy 3: 2:
““Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach” (3)

10. Asia
China
Polygyny had been legal and was written in the law as recently as the end of the Qing/Ching dynasty of the imperial China (1911).
正室/정실 (main room),大婆 (big woman/big wife) ,側室/측실 (she who occupied the side room),二奶 (the act of having a second woman)
Marriage Law passed in 1951
Taiwan
1930 ROC civil law
Hong Kong & Macau
Ban in October 1971
Quing Code

11. Islam Permitted, but not widely practices in Islamic countries
Constraints on men who do marry more than 1 woman.
Polygyny is a duty rather than a privilege.
Many countries that are Muslim retain the traditional Sharia which permits up to 4 wives
Exceptions:
Albania- 70% Muslim
Turkey- 99.8% Muslim
Tunisia- 98% Muslim
Former USSR Republics

12. United States & Canada
 Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints (FLDS)
2005- Movement to politically and economically separate these societies from the greater population
Fundamentalist Mormons and their growing fears.

13. Nature Wood Mouse Female Defense Polygyny Resource Defense Polygyny
Marine Amphipods
Resource Defense Polygyny
African Cichlid Fish
Scramble Competition Polygyny
Orangutans
Elephant Seals

14. Polyandry
When a woman is married to 2 or more husbands at the same time
Derives from Greek terms Poly and Andros
Fraternal Polyandry- When she is married to brothers

15. Fraternal Polyandry Found in: Mahabharta Primogeniture Tibet Nepal
Toda people of Southern India
Hindu
Mahabharta
A Hindu Sanskrit
Tells story of 5 brothers 1 of whom who marry a kings daughter and shares with his brothers, this ultimately starts the Mahabharta War.
Primogeniture

16. Where Polyandry Was Practiced
Africa
Lake Region
Europe
Julius Ceaser
Asia
Pacific Islands
South America

17. Group Marriage
Form of polyamory in which more than one man and more than one woman form a family unit.
Line Marriage

18. Polyamory
Is the practice, desire, or acceptance of having more than one intimate relationship at a time with the knowledge and consent of everyone involved. (4)
In July 2009, there were nearly 500,000 polyamorous relationships in the U.S. (5)

19. Bigamy
Bigamy is the act or condition of a person marrying another person while still being lawfully married to a second person (6)
This is against the law

20. Serial Monogamy
Serial Monogamy- Long-term, exclusive sexual relationships entered into consecutively over the lifespan. (7)
*But only ever 1 at a time*

21. References 1. my
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