The Problem with Polygamy

Brooks, Thom

doi:10.5840/philtopics20093727

Cited by 30 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…Marriages between one man and several women (polygyny) are often assumed rather than demonstrated to be retrograde in terms of women's rights (but see Brooks 2009, who at least makes a case) and are sometimes subject to politically tendentious representation. Marriages between one woman and several men (polyandry) are even rarer but do exist in some parts of the world (Starkweather and Hames 2012).…”

Section: Not the Marrying Kindmentioning

confidence: 98%

Conjugality

Brook¹

2015

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Section: Not the Marrying Kindmentioning

confidence: 98%

Conjugality

Brook¹

2015

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“…And this is in spite of the fact that at least many of the historical arguments favoring polygamy-for example, in the Islamic world, polygamy was sometimes justified by noting a surplus of women and a dearth of men who were lost in battle-are no longer tenable (Rehman, 2007). So, while it is no conceptual truth that women will be harmed and gender inequality will follow from the practice of polygamy, insofar as gender inequality has stubbornly survived at least some historical contingencies it is hardly unreasonable to worry that gender inequality will persist if polygamy is practiced (Brooks, 2009). …”

Section: An Aside On Polygamymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Insofar as I contend that there is a rational basis for legally prohibiting polygamy, I contend that it is possibly to modally imagine such a situation and that the imagined justification does survive reasonable epistemic scrutiny. Even if the harms suffered by women in the actual practice of polygamy are merely contingent and not necessary consequences of polygamy, the harms that arise in actual practice are fairly well documented and discussed (Brooks, 2009;Calhoun, 2005). And more importantly, while there have been significant social, cultural, and historical changes in those places where polygamy is and has been practiced for some time, gender inequality remains fairly pervasive where polygamy is practiced.…”

Section: An Aside On Polygamymentioning

confidence: 99%

The Liberal Case against Same-Sex Marriage Prohibitions

Barry¹

2013

JPL

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Experience suggests that most legal philosophers and ethicists are not surprised to be told that liberal states cannot permissibly prohibit same-sex marriage (henceforth: SSM). It is somewhat less clear what the appropriate liberal strategy is, and should be, in defense of this thesis. Rather than defend SSM directly, I proceed indirectly by arguing that SSM prohibitions are indefensible on liberal grounds. First, I articulate a principle that has roots in constitutional law that I dub the "Rational Basis Principle," a principle intended to capture a constitutive commitment of liberalism: a commitment to liberty. The Rational Basis Principle condemns liberty-limiting legislation as indefensible unless that legislation bears a reasonably conceivable rational relationship to a legitimate state interest. I then argue that while SSM prohibitions limit liberty, they bear no reasonably conceivable rational relationship to anything that a liberal would regard as a legitimate state interest. Accordingly, same-sex marriage prohibitions are rightly dismissed as illiberal.

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“…However, it is very rarely practiced as an exclusive form of marriage within western societies and in the rest of world. It is practiced by some Muslims, Hindus, Mormons, and other cultural and religious groups (3,4). Polygamy is illegal in Turkey, and occurs very rarely within Turkish society.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

A Comparison of Sexual Function, Psychological Status, and Sociodemographic Characteristics of Turkish Men within Polygamous and Monogamous Marriages

et al. 2016

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Background: A limited number of studies within the literature have entailed objective evaluations of psychological, sexual, and emotional features of women within polygamous marriages. However, there is a lack of studies reporting these features among polygamous and monogamous men. Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate sociodemographic characteristics, sexual function, and psychological status of polygamously and monogamously married men. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: The study sample comprised two groups: 35 polygamous and 45 monogamous men in Kahramanmaraş Province, Turkey. Door-to-door surveys covered sociodemographic factors and adopted Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and International Index of Erectile Function -Erectile Function Domain (IIEF-EFD) scales. Results: Polygamous men showed considerably higher IIEF-EFD scores (p<0.05). While the median score of IIEF-EFD was 25.0 for polygamous men, it was 22.0 for monogamous men. A comparison of the two groups revealed that polygamous men had lower BDI scores. However, the difference between the groups was statistically non-significant (p>0.05). Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals of monogamous men for erectile dysfunction and depression were 14.4 (95% CI: 3.1-67.5) and 7.4 (95% CI: 0.9-61.9), respectively. The main reasons for multiple marriages reported by polygamous men, in descending order, were: 1) decreased satisfaction of sexual desires by a wife (37.1%); 2) falling in love with the second wife (22.8%); and 3) incompatibility with the first wife (17.1%). However, 62.9% of them responded negatively to the question: "Would you recommend polygamous marriage to other men?" Conclusion: Our results showed that polygamous men had higher erectile function and lower depression scores than monogamous men. Further studies investigating the effects of polygamy on men's psychosexual function are warranted. Additionally, studies that address the perspectives of offspring and women's expectations within polygamous marriages should be conducted.

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The Problem with Polygamy

Cited by 30 publications

References 32 publications

Conjugality

Conjugality

The Liberal Case against Same-Sex Marriage Prohibitions

A Comparison of Sexual Function, Psychological Status, and Sociodemographic Characteristics of Turkish Men within Polygamous and Monogamous Marriages

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