# I've decided polygamy is an excellent way to raise a family **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 15, 2010, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-decided-polygamy-is-an-excellent-way-to-raise-a-family/557218 "2010-10-15T05:53:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Sarahfeena](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarahfeena/32/519_2.png) [@Sarahfeena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarahfeena)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-decided-polygamy-is-an-excellent-way-to-raise-a-family/557218/121 "2010-10-15T20:46:59Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > Oh, and I’m also reminded of another parallel between prostitution and plural marriage: the insistence that any and all women who engage in it cannot possibly have freely chosen it, they must be brainwashed or stupid or self-loathing or coerced or otherwise incapable of making a reasoned choice that works for them. > > Which, if you stop to think about it is incredibly insulting to the women involved, and in its own way is just another version of the same sort of disrespect towards women that’s being complained of. But that’s really so deeply ingrained in most human cultures we are blind to it. > > “Here, dear, you are so precious let me protect you from your own weak, stupid femininity…” > > But bogus feminism is a huge thread I don’t have time for… Oh, I don’t think they’re brainwashed or coerced, I think they chose this of their own free will. But just because a woman participates in something of her own free will doesn’t mean it isn’t misogynist, anti-feminist crap. The definition of a feminist choice isn’t “whatever choice a woman wants to make.” ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-decided-polygamy-is-an-excellent-way-to-raise-a-family/557218/122 "2010-10-15T20:55:06Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > Oh, and I’m also reminded of another parallel between prostitution and plural marriage: the insistence that any and all women who engage in it cannot possibly have freely chosen it, they must be brainwashed or stupid or self-loathing or coerced or otherwise incapable of making a reasoned choice that works for them. I would not say all. But, worldwide, most. I would say that “most” women who choose prostitution, “freely” choose between it and dying. That’s a very intelligent choice if you ask me. I would not call it a “free” choice, which implies you can choose not to and still be able to live. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-decided-polygamy-is-an-excellent-way-to-raise-a-family/557218/123 "2010-10-15T20:59:05Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Of course they are, but the ones that do so are not members of a repressive religious fanatic culture, like the Browns are. The females in that culture are incapable of making an informed choice, and often no one has any choice at all. Pardon me… you realize that you are asserting that any and all women raised as Mormons are not capable and can never BE capable of making a reasoned and informed decision to enter freely into plural marriage, right? If that’s not what you meant, you need to clear it up. The Brown wives were not all raised in closed polygamous communities, you know, and the fourth wife, as I’ve pointed out, was previously in a monogamous marriage. Are you saying she was not capable? That as a divorced woman in her thirties with three children she had no ability to make a different choice? Because that makes no sense at all, you know. > [@](#): > > And, that repressive religious fanatic culture does _“require”_ plural marriage/polygamy. Okay. So what? It’s not what I’m talking about. > [@](#): > > Outside the repressive religious fanatic culture, there are certainly happy and informed trios, etc. However, the show “Sister Wives” does not portray that lifestyle, but instead that of the repressive religious fanatic culture - in this case, attempts have been made to conceal or sugarcoat it, but the hidden dark truth is still there. Your’e very fond of cites. Do you have any for this assertion, apart from a reviewer’s inability to believe the show is accurate? Got any cites for any of your assertions about this particular family? Because what you’re saying doesn’t match the cites you’ve named and doesn’t match anything else I’ve found. Not all Mormons are repressive religious fanatics. Nor is it correct to assert that all LDS followers who agree with the idea of plural marriage are de facto repressive fanatics. ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-decided-polygamy-is-an-excellent-way-to-raise-a-family/557218/124 "2010-10-15T20:59:16Z")
> [@Sarahfeena](#): > > …The definition of a feminist choice isn’t “whatever choice a woman wants to make.” I’m loathe to admit I don’t understand why not. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-decided-polygamy-is-an-excellent-way-to-raise-a-family/557218/125 "2010-10-15T20:59:20Z")
> [@Sarahfeena](#): > > Stoid, the show HAS aired…I’ve seen 5 episodes as well as the Oprah interview. I wouldn’t take that interview at face value if I were you. Yes, these women went into the decision freely, and yes, it was their stated choice. > > That doesn’t make it healthy by any stretch of the imagination. It maybe makes it morally sound from the public perspective, but it doesn’t make it an excellent way to have a marriage or a family. At least one of the wives has very bad jealously and insecurity issues, which were all brought to the fore again with the addition of the new wife, and the husband told her that it’s too bad that the process makes heartbreak happen (not HIS heartbreak, mind you, only hers, because as hard as it is for her, it’s his right to move ahead with it anyway). In my opinion, having watched the show, it is massive cognitive dissonance to say that you are happy in a marriage in which the very structure of it causes you pain. > > It is true, he can’t just indiscriminately go around sleeping with whomever he wants, there are protocols for courtship and marriage (although he doesn’t seem as keen on following those protocols as his wives perhaps are). He ostensibly gets the blessing of the other wives for any new person he wants to bring in. But that does not change the fact that in their system, he is allowed to fall in love with someone new, nurture that love and relationship, and make it permanent. They are not allowed the same freedom. I simply can’t see how it’s a good thing for children to be taught that this is an appropriate way for a man and a woman to have a relationship. I’ve seen all the episodes for the trainwreck factor. I agree with this analysis. Kody’s a jerk. His wives appear unhappy and his kids largely ignored. Not exactly a recipe for effective a functional family structure. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-decided-polygamy-is-an-excellent-way-to-raise-a-family/557218/126 "2010-10-15T21:01:29Z")
> [@](#): > > Oh, I don’t think they’re brainwashed or coerced, I think they chose this of their own free will. But just because a woman participates in something of her own free will doesn’t mean it isn’t misogynist, anti-feminist crap. The definition of a feminist choice isn’t “whatever choice a woman wants to make.” Then what is it? “Whatever choice self-appointed arbiters of politically correct feminists approve of”? ---
**Author:** ![Sarahfeena](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarahfeena/32/519_2.png) [@Sarahfeena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarahfeena)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-decided-polygamy-is-an-excellent-way-to-raise-a-family/557218/127 "2010-10-15T21:02:46Z")
> [@Nzinga\_Seated](#): > > > [@Sarahfeena](#): > > > > …The definition of a feminist choice isn’t “whatever choice a woman wants to make.” > > I’m loathe to admit I don’t understand why not. Because the fact that a woman put herself in a position where she lacks power doesn’t mean she doesn’t lack it. He holds the cards. Sure, the women were the ones who put the cards in his hand, but they’re still standing there without any. And the SOLE REASON they state for why he holds the cards and they don’t is because he’s a man, and they’re women. Anti-feminist, misogynist crap. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-decided-polygamy-is-an-excellent-way-to-raise-a-family/557218/128 "2010-10-15T21:03:13Z")
> [@](#): > > I would not say all. But, worldwide, most. I would say that “most” women who choose prostitution, “freely” choose between it and dying. That’s a very intelligent choice if you ask me. I would not call it a “free” choice, which implies you can choose not to and still be able to live. Well, if that’s the definition then most work isn’t a choice. ---
**Author:** ![Sarahfeena](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarahfeena/32/519_2.png) [@Sarahfeena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarahfeena)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-decided-polygamy-is-an-excellent-way-to-raise-a-family/557218/129 "2010-10-15T21:03:58Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > Oh, I don’t think they’re brainwashed or coerced, I think they chose this of their own free will. But just because a woman participates in something of her own free will doesn’t mean it isn’t misogynist, anti-feminist crap. The definition of a feminist choice isn’t “whatever choice a woman wants to make.” > > Then what is it? “Whatever choice self-appointed arbiters of politically correct feminists approve of”? I’m the least politically correct feminist you’ll probably ever come across, FYI. ---
**Author:** ![Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimmy_Chitwood)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-decided-polygamy-is-an-excellent-way-to-raise-a-family/557218/130 "2010-10-15T21:06:34Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > Really? Wow, that’s a completely bizarre thing to think. Hell, thinking there are people who “support” slavery is bizarre all by itself. Well what the fuck do you think slavery is? A geological formation? If people didn’t support it it wouldn’t exist. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-decided-polygamy-is-an-excellent-way-to-raise-a-family/557218/131 "2010-10-15T21:09:16Z")
> [@Sarahfeena](#): > > > [@Nzinga\_Seated](#): > > > > I’m loathe to admit I don’t understand why not. > > Because the fact that a woman put herself in a position where she lacks power doesn’t mean she doesn’t lack it. He holds the cards. Sure, the women were the ones who put the cards in his hand, but they’re still standing there without any. And the SOLE REASON they state for why he holds the cards and they don’t is because he’s a man, and they’re women. Anti-feminist, misogynist crap. HUH??? Choosing to hand over your power is a completely valid choice! If you choose to give it up, you can choose to take it back. That you would find such a choice distasteful doesn’t invalidate it. Nor does choosing to hand over your power mean misogyny and anti-feminism. The essence of feminism and sexual equality is the ability to choose, whether it’s a woman’s choice to stay at home and raise kids, or become a firefighter, or a man’s choice to stay at home and raise kids. A world free of sexism would be a world that permits and respects the choices of the individual, no matter their sex or gender, no matter the choice. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-decided-polygamy-is-an-excellent-way-to-raise-a-family/557218/132 "2010-10-15T21:13:22Z")
> [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](#): > > > [@Stoid](#): > > > > Really? Wow, that’s a completely bizarre thing to think. Hell, thinking there are people who “support” slavery is bizarre all by itself. > > Well what the fuck do you think slavery is? A geological formation? If people didn’t support it it wouldn’t exist. And I doubt the people who support it would ever honestly think or assert that it’s chosen, no matter how much it works for them. Especially since that pretty much undermines the very definition of slavery. (Except among the select group who choose it as a sexual lifestyle…kinky bunch, those.) ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-decided-polygamy-is-an-excellent-way-to-raise-a-family/557218/133 "2010-10-15T21:14:26Z")
> [@Sarahfeena](#): > > > [@Stoid](#): > > > > Then what is it? “Whatever choice self-appointed arbiters of politically correct feminists approve of”? > > I’m the least politically correct feminist you’ll probably ever come across, FYI. Well, since you haven’t given any evidence for that by your contributions in this thread, I’d be very much interested in knowing how you define both feminism and political correctness. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-decided-polygamy-is-an-excellent-way-to-raise-a-family/557218/134 "2010-10-15T21:15:12Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > I would not say all. But, worldwide, most. I would say that “most” women who choose prostitution, “freely” choose between it and dying. That’s a very intelligent choice if you ask me. I would not call it a “free” choice, which implies you can choose not to and still be able to live. > > Well, if that’s the definition then most work isn’t a choice. :rolleyes: You ever heard of human trafficking? I mean “prostitution and DEATH” not “prostitution and having to visit the food bank or go on welfare for a few months.” ---
**Author:** ![Sarahfeena](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarahfeena/32/519_2.png) [@Sarahfeena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarahfeena)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-decided-polygamy-is-an-excellent-way-to-raise-a-family/557218/135 "2010-10-15T21:15:23Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > > [@Sarahfeena](#): > > > > Because the fact that a woman put herself in a position where she lacks power doesn’t mean she doesn’t lack it. He holds the cards. Sure, the women were the ones who put the cards in his hand, but they’re still standing there without any. And the SOLE REASON they state for why he holds the cards and they don’t is because he’s a man, and they’re women. Anti-feminist, misogynist crap. > > HUH??? > > Choosing to hand over your power is a completely valid choice! If you choose to give it up, you can choose to take it back. That you would find such a choice distasteful doesn’t invalidate it. I didn’t say it wasn’t a valid choice, I said it was a misogynistic, anti-feminist choice. > [@](#): > > Nor does choosing to hand over your power mean misogyny and anti-feminism. The essence of feminism and sexual equality is the ability to choose, whether it’s a woman’s choice to stay at home and raise kids, or become a firefighter, or a man’s choice to stay at home and raise kids. A world free of sexism would be a world that permits and respects the choices of the individual, no matter their sex or gender, no matter the choice. I do not believe the essence of feminism and sexual equality is for women to choose to subjugate themselves to men. I think women should have the right to do so if they choose, but it is not a feminist choice. ---
**Author:** ![Sarahfeena](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarahfeena/32/519_2.png) [@Sarahfeena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarahfeena)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-decided-polygamy-is-an-excellent-way-to-raise-a-family/557218/136 "2010-10-15T21:21:45Z")
On further thought… IMO, the essence of feminism is women having power in society equal to men. Women voluntarily giving up their power TO men is not a feminist choice. It reinforces societal attitudes about gender roles, and robs other women of power. This is not feminism. I also support Michelle Duggar’s right to live her lifestyle as well, but she ain’t making feminist choices, either. ---
**Author:** ![Sarahfeena](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarahfeena/32/519_2.png) [@Sarahfeena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarahfeena)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-decided-polygamy-is-an-excellent-way-to-raise-a-family/557218/137 "2010-10-15T21:27:47Z")
Oh, and on further further thought… I didn’t answer your question about political correctness. In my view, political correctness is framing an argument or statement in a way that attempts not to offend anyone. I don’t think the statements I’ve made here re: feminism are designed not to offend, and in fact I’m afraid I’m bound to offend someone by what I’m saying…even myself. So, no, I don’t think I’m being politically correct. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-decided-polygamy-is-an-excellent-way-to-raise-a-family/557218/138 "2010-10-15T21:29:15Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > Pardon me… you realize that you are asserting that any and all women raised as Mormons are not capable and can never BE capable of making a reasoned and informed decision to enter freely into plural marriage, right? > > If that’s not what you meant, you need to clear it up. The Brown wives were not all raised in closed polygamous communities, you know, and the fourth wife, as I’ve pointed out, was previously in a monogamous marriage. > > Not all Mormons are repressive religious fanatics. Nor is it correct to assert that all LDS followers who agree with the idea of plural marriage are de facto repressive fanatics. No, I said nothing of the sort. \*\*The Browns are NOT Mormons. \*\* They are members of [Apostolic United Brethren - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostolic_United_Brethren) which is a repressive religious fanatic cult, related to the "_Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints"_. The mainstream Mormon Church, aka The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) loudly disavow this cult, and have stated often and publicly that they do not support Polygamy and that Polygamy is grounds for excommunication "…, _church president Joseph F. Smith issued a “Second Manifesto” in 1904 which reaffirmed the church’s opposition to the creation of new plural marriages and threatened excommunication for Latter-day Saints who continued to enter into or solemnize new plural marriages."_ No, actually all the Brown wives _were_ raised in that repressive religious fanatic culture “From LA Times review: “…\*All three of the women were raised either in or surrounded by polygamist families \*” and as for the new wife” _Robyn, … explains that although she grew up in a polygamist family…_. Apparently one of the wives- Janelle- was not part of a Poly family, but was raised in that cult and culture. Not every family in that cult is poly. Although I disagree strongly with the anti-gay marriage position of the mainstream Mormon Church, aka The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), and I would say that that policy is “repressive”, I agree- not all Mormons are repressive religious fanatics (none of the ones I know are). But the Browns are NOT part of the Mormon Church, aka The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), and they ARE repressive religious fanatics. All of the members of the “Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints” and their associated cults are repressive religious fanatics. That’s the Law of that cult. That is\* required \*of them. Yes, I do assert that the women in that cult are not capable of making a reasoned and informed decision to enter freely into plural marriage. But they are _not Mormons_, either. Now of the “reasoned and informed decision to enter freely into plural marriage” poly families I do know, about 1/3 are two men, one woman. Note that this relationship does not and can not exist in the “Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints”, thus no member of that Church has a choice. \*"The FLDS Church teaches the doctrine of plural marriage, which states that a man having multiple wives is ordained by God; the doctrine requires it in order for a man to receive the highest form of salvation. It is generally believed in the church that a man should have a minimum of three wives to fulfill this requirement.[61] Connected with this doctrine is patriarchal doctrine, the belief that wives are required to be subordinate to their husbands. The church currently practices placement marriage, whereby a young woman of marriageable age is assigned a husband by revelation from God to the leader of the church, who is regarded as a prophet.[62] The prophet elects to take and give wives to and from men according to their worthiness. This is also called the law of placing." \*Where’s the “reasoned and informed decision to enter freely into plural marriage” there? ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-decided-polygamy-is-an-excellent-way-to-raise-a-family/557218/139 "2010-10-15T21:31:04Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Why are you trying to lecture me about something I saw for myself? But you didn’t see it for yourself. You said that you had a friend who grew up in it. So you have one person’s experience as he relates it to you. > [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Yoiu think that why? Because you saw it on a reality show? reality shows are fake. Then why are you using TLC’s show as an example to support your hypothesis? I’m neither agreeing nor disagreeing with you Diogenes. I’m just pointing out that you’re being contradictory and hypocritical in your arguments. ---
**Author:** ![kimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f0a364/32.png) [@kimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kimera)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2010, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-decided-polygamy-is-an-excellent-way-to-raise-a-family/557218/140 "2010-10-15T21:40:58Z")
Evolutionary Anthropologist here. Humans are a species that tends towards serial monogamy. We, like many species of birds are primarily pair-bonded. Although polygamy has been allowed (primarily polygyny), the vast majority of us have been married monogamously, and polygyny is an extremely dangerous system that causes higher rates of violence and women to be treated as objects. There are plenty of species that are monogamous, including apes (gibbons, titi monkeys). The most common form of polygyny, where it is allowed, is for a very few men to have multiple wives and the vast majority to be married monogamously. Widespread polygyny is not widely practiced because the surplus males must be killed or removed from the society somehow. Wikipedia: > [@](#): > > Not all marriages are socially monogamous. Anthropological studies have reported that 80-85% of societies allow polygamous marriage.[36][37][38][verification needed] However, most of the men in societies that allow polygamy do not obtain sufficient wealth or status to have multiple wives, so the majority of marriages in these societies involve one husband and one wife. Murdock has estimated that 80% of marriages in societies that allow polygamy involve only one husband and one wife.[38] White has analyzed the distribution of husbands by number of wives in societies that allow polygamy (see Table 1 in White, 1988, pages 535-539).[39] His analysis also supports the claim that around 80% of marriages in these societies involve only one husband and one wife. In fact, so many marriages are socially monogamous that Murdock had years earlier stated: > “An impartial observer employing the criterion of numerical preponderance, consequently, would be compelled to characterize nearly every known human society as monogamous, despite the preference for and frequency of polygyny in the overwhelming majority.” (Murdock, 1949, pages 27-28) Furthermore, based on our physiology, we are a species that tends towards monogamy. Our level of sexual dimorphism is less than what would be expected based upon our size, and our testes are small, which suggests that we don’t engage in a lot of sperm competition (although we do engage in a moderate amount). Although there are societies with no marriages, societies where women are encouraged to have extrapair copulations, and societies where only a few men are allowed to have access to all the females, the majority of individuals across cultures practice serial monogamy. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-decided-polygamy-is-an-excellent-way-to-raise-a-family/557218.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-decided-polygamy-is-an-excellent-way-to-raise-a-family/557218.md?page=8)