The case for polygamy

[Pax]

I personally am against marriage at this point. But if I was why not polygamy.
Currently there are slightly more women than men in the U.S.
The pool of financially stable men is even lower.
hypothetical:
Single working Parent(40 k income) two kids
I would want to live in a two bedroom but most houses are three.
two working parents(80 k income) three kids
three working parents(120 k income) four kids
Proposing that I would live in either this house

http://www.georgiamls.com/search/propDetail.cfm?LN=3046575

or this one

http://www.georgiamls.com/search/propDetail.cfm?LN=2971423

I believe that in the combination of a polygamous relationship I have the ability too provide a better lifestyle for the kids.

[notyoueither]

Some people do this. They use contracts and powers of attornies to establish family like rights and obligations.

They refer to themselves as polyamourous and settle in 'houses' when that is the way they want to go.

There can be significant legal and social problems though.

[Jon Miller]

Significant social problems when there are a lot of (likely young men) who would be 'out'.

This wasn't such a big deal in the distance past, when men would often die in war (although women would often die in child birth).

As noted, there are only slightly more women then men.

An additional reason is that I don't think that financial reasons has been the prime factor for marriage for ~50 years or so in the US. It is about romantic love, with a significant emotional commitment, not just a financial commitment.

I don't believe that I am able to provide that to more than one woman. Even if I could provide financially.

Polygamy (or polyandry) is not set up to work with western society (or I believe, Indian/etc society, they seem eager to get into love marriages rather than the usual pragmatic/financial type).

Finally, I just don't think it is that natural. In western society which polygamy+polyandry has been tried in the past it has mostly failed. Generally the only reason why it lasts as long as it does (in each attempt or even on the more personal explorations) is that some of the parties really believe in it. I have seen that such people can really believe that polyandry+polygamy is right, even though it is making them unhappy. I think it arrose due to pragmatic/financial reasons long ago and has no place in modern society.

And of course, where it is practiced in western society, there is often heavily amounts of coercion and the powerful taking advantage of the weak.

JM

[Al B. Sure!]

Jon, polyandry is one woman, multiple husbands.

Polygamy is the general term; polyandry is multiple husbands; polygyny is multiple wives.

[Jon Miller]

Yeah, you are right. Not sure what I was thinking there, any case... replace polyandry with polyandry/polygamy and it can stand as written.

JM

[BlackCat]

Jon, polyandry is one woman, multiple husbands.

Polygamy is the general term; polyandry is multiple husbands; polygyny is multiple wives.

And your point is ?

[notyoueither]

I was pretty dead set against polygamy for many of the reasons Jon states.

I'm a little more flexible about it now.

I am very much against the sort of colonies that exist in parts of the US and Canada where girls are raised to be married off at 14 to cult leaders and young men are chased off.

After reading about polyamoury I am less dead set against it, but I note that it can be very hard for some people to do it.

It comes down to it is fine between consenting adults who want to try it and especially for those who are successful at it. It is not so fine when people go off to hide from the law and engage in human breeding colonies. I'm not sure how to split the baby.

[Hauldren Collider]

There are slightly more women than men because their life expectancy is slightly longer, if I recall correctly. At birth it's pretty much 50/50.

[Al B. Sure!]

There are slightly more women than men because their life expectancy is slightly longer, if I recall correctly. At birth it's pretty much 50/50.

No. It's 105:100 in favor of men at birth. Men have far higher fatality rates, though.

[Al B. Sure!]

CIA estimates... actually 107:100 at birth...

From the CIA World Factbook, World Sex Ratio:
At Birth: 107 (1.07 male(s) per every female)
Under 15 years: 106 (1.06 male(s) per every female)
15-64 years: 102 (1.02 male(s) per every female)
65 years and over: 78 (.78 male(s) per every female)
Total Population: 101 (1.01 male(s) per every female)

[Al B. Sure!]

And your point is ?

Jon had the terms mixed up. I was correcting him. What is so hard to understand?

[Aeson]

I don't think making polygamy legal would change much. The ones that do it already do it, they just aren't legally married. Better to just get government out of marriage of any sort completely.

[Al B. Sure!]

I don't think making polygamy legal would change much. The ones that do it already do it, they just aren't legally married. Better to just get government out of marriage of any sort completely.

ehh... not really. There's a big difference between clandestine adultery and a polygamous marriage to which all parties involved agree to.

[Tupac Shakur]

If gay marriage is given state sanction, there's no logical reason not to give the same sanction to polygamy as well.

[notyoueither]

Outside of that more than two people issue.