![]() Our ancestors were promiscuous, not in the sense of sleeping with strangers, but in the sense that an individual would have multiple mates at any given time. Christopher Ryan in his recent book, Sex At Dawn, goes through the evidence which suggests that our ancestors preferred a multiple-mate system. Group marriage is not so uncommon either. Out of all these societies, 186 were monogamous, 453 had occasional polygyny, 588 had frequent polygyny, and 4 practised polyandry. For example, the Ethnographic Atlas Codebook includes an analysis of 1,231 different societies. For those who think that polygamy is illegal because it is unnatural, immoral or harmful should recognise that it is a common practice worldwide, and is even more common than monogamy (one husband, one wife). There can also be group marriage, where the family unit consists of multiple wives and multiple husbands. Polygyny is when one man is married to multiple wives, and polyandry is when one wife is married to multiple husbands. This somewhat ancient Act states that: “Whosoever, being married, shall marry any other person during the life of the former husband or wife, whether the second marriage shall have taken place in England or Ireland or elsewhere, shall be guilty of felony, and being convicted thereof shall be liable to be kept in penal servitude for any term not exceeding seven years.” This maximum sentence of 7 years in prison still applies today. In England and Wales, bigamy is a crime under section 57 of the Offences against the Person Act 1861. Where polygamy is legal, those who have entered into a polygamous marriage are still discriminated against – their marriage is not recognised for pension, immigration or citizenship purposes. ![]() ![]() Polygamous marriages may not be performed in the UK, and if one is performed, then the already married person is guilty of the crime of bigamy – bigamy being the act of entering into a marriage with one person, whilst already being married to someone else. Polygamy, or a marriage involving more than two partners, is illegal in most countries. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |