Lillian Moore

Polygamy in the U.S: An Investigation into the Benefits of Love at Large

It was not until nearly the beginning of the 20th century that polygamy was banned in the
United States. During that time, a fear of the influence of Mormonism had spread through the
greater area of the Unites States. With the appointment of Brigham Young to the governors seat
in Utah, and a growing population of Mormons in the West, other American leaders began to feel
uncomfortable with the theocracy they felt Young was forming. This opposition was furthered by
the moral issue of polygamy, a practice that was encouraged by the main branch of the Mormon
faith (PBS:2007). Polygamy was banned in the United States in 1862 under the presidency of
Abraham Lincoln, with every state enacting a law prohibiting the practice and the federal
government criminalizing the act of having multiple spouses (HG.org). However, these laws
were put in place on purely moral grounds, posing the question of true legality in an unbiased
judicial system. Banning polygamous unions between of-age and willing individuals violates the
right to freedom of choice for all those involved. The private practices of a family unit, granted
they are unharmful to those involved and to outside parties, should be out of the jurisdiction of
state or federal government. Marriage prohibition on moral grounds is a gross overextension of
legislative power. Adults should have the freedom to choose whom they marry and for what
reasons, including the economic, social, and personal benefits to having multiple spouses.
The economic benefits of polygamy are extended to the entire family unit. In order to
support multiple wives and the offspring they will rear, a man must be initially wealthy.
Oftentimes a man will pay a bridewealth, or some form of economic benefit, to the womans
family in exchange for her hand in marriage. This gift to his future kin ensures to them that the
husband will have sufficient funds to take care their daughter. In turn, the family is compensated

for the loss of a pair of hands around the household. Only when a man can come up with enough
accumulated bridewealth for multiple wives and a secure future for them may he begin marry
more than one spouse (Peoples-Bailey 2013:204). With the family he builds, a man may further
his wealth through their labor. This is particularly beneficial in rural or pastoral settings, where
women and children act as farmers and herders for the familys land and livestock (PeoplesBailey 2013:201).
In an urban setting, finding the space for a large family may prove difficult, and even
inconvenient. According to information published by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2015, 62.7
percent of the United States population resides in cities (U.S. Census Bureau:2015). Taking
those figures into account, polyandry, or the practice of a woman having multiple husbands, may
be more practical for urban living. That way the family unit would not be too great in size, due to
the presence of only one member capable of bearing children. Practicing polyandry also helps to
keep wealth within one family lineage, rather than the traditional Western practice of dividing
inheritance between offspring. Because a set of brothers all marry one woman, the inheritance
they have will not be broken up. Take for example the Nyinba people of Nepal. In the
anthropological film Strange Relations, one of the elders explains that if monogamous
relationships introduced into the society, the family land would be divided for the first time in
generations (Maybury-Lewis:1992). Whether a family has multiple wives or multiple husbands,
more working members of a household creates a greater opportunity of accumulating wealth and
sharing household expenses.
Along with the benefits to the economic situation of the individual household,
polygamous families often have a greater wealth of social connections. Within the home, wives
may depend upon one another to share chores, raise children, and act as friends and confidants

(Peoples-Bailey 2013:204). In some societies, there is a prestige factor for women in getting
married, especially to a man who can support multiple spouses. This social security net of a
father and other mother figures in the home will ensure that their children are well taken care of
and may even have wealth passed on to them, an opportunity that would be unavailable to a man
within the mothers own social class (Peoples-Bailey 2013:204). With her children set up for
their futures, a woman can be more sure of her own. Her offspring will provide her with security
in her old age, and through their own maturation.
Multiple spouses in the home also supplies an extended family network that may not be
available in monogamous marriages. Additional sets of grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins
may lend social, economic, or political support in times of need. In many societies, the status of a
man is derived from the size of his family and their collective wealth (Peoples-Bailey 2013:201).
This means that the more wives and children are included in his family, raising his status within
the community, and ensuring a great deal family support.
In addition to the extended social network of plural marriage, women in polygynous
marriages have a greater chance for healthy pregnancies that lead to healthy childhoods for their
offspring. The postpartum sex taboo, or a break from sexual activity with a new mother, takes
the pressure of conception off of women who have just recently given birth to children. Because
this taboo can last for two to four years, quality time may be spent nurturing the newborn and
allocating all of a mothers energy and nutrients to a single child (Peoples-Bailey 2013:201).
The time frame of two to four years correlates with studies conducted on the risks of
prenancy. There is an increased rate of birth defects in children when the spacing of pregnancies
is too close together or too far apart. A study conducted by the Journal of the American Medical
Association discovered that when conception occurred within six months of last giving birth, the

risk of premature birth rose by 40%, along with the risk of low birth weight which increased by
61%. In contrast, mothers who waited more than five years to give birth after their first
pregnancy had children with a 20-43% greater chance prematurity and low birth weight
(Boyles:2006). For monogamous couples that desire large families, great pressure can be put
upon the woman to have multiple pregnancies in a short span of time, a burden that would be
lifted with the addition of multiple spouses capable of bearing children. In the U.S. alone,
roughly 19,000 babies die within a month of birth each year. The World Health Organization
estimates that more than a fourth of these losses have a direct link to premature birth
(Boyles:2006).
Polygamy provides benefits for families in societies all across the world regardless of
geographic and cultural differences. The economic, social, and health advantages to both men
and women alike make having multiple spouses an attractive option. However, this does not
mean that plural marriage comes without obstacles. In polygynous unions, jealousy can arise
from sharing spouses. In some cases, women live in separate homes to keep tension from
growing within a single large household (Peoples-Bailey 2013:205). Or, such as what happened
in the film Strange Relations, a man and woman may find that their affection for one another
means the mans brothers must also join the union, as would be the case with practicing
polyandry (Maybury-Lewis:1992). This adds stress to the two in love, as the woman is obligated
to form relationships with all of her husbands. In polyandrous relationships, problems may stem
from younger brothers divorcing from the marriage, which breaks up the pattern of sole
inheritance for familys wealth (Peoples-Bailey 2013:205). Regardless of the drawbacks,
marriages between willing men and women, with no discrimination to the number of or gender
of the individuals, should be recognized as a legal choice. All relationships face problems,

despite age, gender, and experience. A persons happiness should not be deterred by the religious
discrimination of people in a country founded on the pillars of freedom and equality.

References Cited
Boyles, Salynn. "Pregnancy Spacing Affects Outcome." WebMD. WebMD, 18 Apr. 2006. Web.
22 Mar. 2016.
<http://www.webmd.com/baby/news/20060418/pregnancy-spacing-affects-outcome>.
HG.org. "Is Polygamy Illegal in the United States." Legal Resources. HG.org, n.d. Web. 22 Mar.
2016. <https://www.hg.org/article.asp?id=31807>.
Millennium--tribal Wisdom and the Modern World. Dir. David Maybury-Lewis. 1992. DVD.
Peoples, James, and Garrick Bailey. "Marriages and Families." Humanity. 10th ed. N.p.:
Cengage Learning, n.d. 189-218. Print.
PBS. "Timeline: The Early History of the Mormons." PBS. WGBH Educational Foundation, 30
Apr. 2007. Web. 23 Mar. 2016. <http://www.pbs.org/mormons/timeline/timeline2.html>.
U.S. Census Bureau. "U.S. Cities Home to 62.7% of Population but Comprise 3.5% of Land
Area." U.S. Cities Home to 62.7% of Population but Comprise 3.5% of Land Area.
United States Census Bureau, 4 Mar. 2015. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.
<https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2015/cb15-33.html>.