# Multiple Marriage....are you for or against? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 24, 2003, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multiple-marriage-are-you-for-or-against/177269 "2003-05-24T19:35:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Iyyob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ee7513/32.png) [@Iyyob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iyyob)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2003, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multiple-marriage-are-you-for-or-against/177269/1 "2003-05-24T19:35:13Z")
Never mind the laws of the land. Just think of all the advantages. After all the females out number the male greatly. what do you think? ---
**Author:** ![lno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@lno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lno)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2003, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multiple-marriage-are-you-for-or-against/177269/2 "2003-05-24T19:51:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Iyyob \* > Never mind the laws of the land. > Just think of all the advantages. > After all the females out number the male greatly. > > what do you think? I think I’ll check with the 2000 US Census. [http://factfinder.census.gov/bf/\_lang=en\_vt\_name=DEC\_2000\_SF1\_U\_DP1\_geo\_id=01000US.html](http://factfinder.census.gov/bf/_lang=en_vt_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_DP1_geo_id=01000US.html) ```auto SEX AND AGE Male 138,053,563 49.1 Female 143,368,343 50.9 ``` So we’ve got five million more women than men, but some of those are clearly not of marryin’ age. Let’s go with 18 and above. (Yeah, some states have a lower age of consent, but bear with me here. I’m working this out on the back of a napkin.) ```auto 18 years and over 209,128,094 74.3 Male 100,994,367 35.9 Female 108,133,727 38.4 ``` Even better. There’s an seven million women for all of the men over 18. What advantages do you see? Right now, I’m stuck at a major problem of an equal distribution of these seven million surplus women. Some options:[ul][li]First come, first serve, to a pre-determined maximum number of wives.[_]A national lottery, in which seven million men receive winning numbers, and then select their extra wife in numerical order[_]Relate it to taxes somehow - volunteer to move up into a higher tax bracket, be given a dispensation to take on an extra wife[/ul]Oh, there are a lot of options. But there are some other factors that I haven’t even considered - female input, for one. Women still have the franchise (unless that’s step one of your plan) and may demand participation in any scheme - and bigamy works both ways, too, so a woman would be justified in taking multiple husbands.[/li] In which case the original justification (the 50.9% to 49.1% outnumbering) is thrown to shit. What do you think, **Iyyob**? Any ideas how we can work through this? ---
**Author:** ![istara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e79b87/32.png) [@istara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/istara)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2003, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multiple-marriage-are-you-for-or-against/177269/3 "2003-05-24T20:07:45Z")
Now **lno** there’s nothing unmarriageable about a sprightly female octagenarian. Just look at Joan Collins or Elizabeth Taylor! I think I would rather become a nun or a lesbian than have to share a husband. ---
**Author:** ![PatriotX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c4cdca/32.png) [@PatriotX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotX)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2003, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multiple-marriage-are-you-for-or-against/177269/4 "2003-05-24T20:19:57Z")
**Iyyob** , Are you planning on participating in _any_ of these threads you’ve started? ---
**Author:** ![MikeRochenelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/49beb7/32.png) [@MikeRochenelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeRochenelle)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2003, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multiple-marriage-are-you-for-or-against/177269/5 "2003-05-25T00:54:29Z")
But I definitely think bigamy should be legal. And I’m talking multiple husband as well as multiple wife bigamy. (Or a husband and a wife, or whatever turns your crank.) I think, frankly, the actual incidence of multiple marriage would be rare. From what I’ve read about polyamory, if you marry N people, then your relationship problems generally multiply themselves by N times. I’ve got enough trouble with just one girlfriend! -Ben ---
**Author:** ![House](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/90db22/32.png) [@House](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/House)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2003, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multiple-marriage-are-you-for-or-against/177269/6 "2003-05-25T01:32:34Z")
Yeah, could you imagine the nagging multiplied by N? Or the ol’ “You ain’t gettin’ any tonight”? Dear Lord, who would even subject themselves to such a thing. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2003, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multiple-marriage-are-you-for-or-against/177269/7 "2003-05-25T02:53:58Z")
Whatever floats your boat, I say. In fact, my personal opinion of the matter is that marriage should be eliminated as a legal institution altogether, and relegated purely to the spiritual domain. The legal advantages that come from marriage (joint property and so forth) can all be accomplished via plain ol’ contract law if you want, anyway. If you want multiple spouses, set up multiple contracts. No big deal. ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2003, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multiple-marriage-are-you-for-or-against/177269/8 "2003-05-25T03:06:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Iyyob \* > \*\*Never mind the laws of the land. > Just think of all the advantages. > After all the females out number the male greatly. > > \*\* I had to look at this twice, to make sure it wasn’t a haiku. And there you have it, folks—my 100th post. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2003, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multiple-marriage-are-you-for-or-against/177269/9 "2003-05-25T13:08:37Z")
As long as all involved consent, I see nothing wrong with it. Heck with a third income, we could afford a much better place. I’d be willing to share for that. ---
**Author:** ![moi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@moi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moi)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multiple-marriage-are-you-for-or-against/177269/10 "2003-05-26T18:08:28Z")
:rolleyes: Gotta love the fact that the OP thinks of multiple marriages as one husband-two wives. Why not the other way around? ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multiple-marriage-are-you-for-or-against/177269/11 "2003-05-26T20:32:25Z")
Well, I’m certainly against it for _me_, but I couldn’t give a fiddly-fuck what other people do as long as all parties involved know they’re in a multiple marriage and consent. Oh, and **friedo** , the legal advantages _can_ be arranged by contract law, but it’s much, much more expensive. A lesbian friend of ours recently spent several hundred bucks to get the same legal rights and advantages **DrJ** and I got with a $27 marriage license. ---
**Author:** ![imthjckaz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/imthjckaz/32/3223_2.png) [@imthjckaz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/imthjckaz)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2003, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multiple-marriage-are-you-for-or-against/177269/12 "2003-05-26T21:38:29Z")
Well marriage could be good for your health. Studies have shown married men live longer than single men, but married men are a lot more willing to die. So you may live twice as long, but wish you were dead. ---
**Author:** ![Mtgman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Mtgman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mtgman)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2003, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multiple-marriage-are-you-for-or-against/177269/13 "2003-05-27T23:34:12Z")
The OP seems to think that women far outnumber men, thus the Two-Women-One-Man marriage. **|no** has graciously pointed out the flaw in this reasoning with the US as a basis, but I would like to add the numbers from a global perpespctive. All numbers still taken from the [CIA World Factbook](http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/xx.html) so if it is inaccurate then you can blame those bastards who have finally wised up and figured out that tinfoil hats actually WORK. > [@](#): > > Sex ratio: > at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female > under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female > 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female > 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female > total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2002 est.) Hmm, there’s actually MORE guys than women until you hit the 65+ mark. So if there are going to be poly relationships, it would make sense, numerically speaking, to have MMF until you hit 65+ and then a fair number of people(the guys who didn’t die off by then) could switch to FFM. Enjoy, Steven ---
**Author:** ![imthjckaz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/imthjckaz/32/3223_2.png) [@imthjckaz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/imthjckaz)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2003, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multiple-marriage-are-you-for-or-against/177269/14 "2003-05-28T20:42:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by istara \* > **Now lno there’s nothing unmarriageable about a sprightly female octagenarian. Just look at Joan Collins or Elizabeth Taylor!** Elizabeth Taylor? Spritely? Joan is spritely because she never gave **it** a rest. Liz just got old.