Places on Earth Where Women Can Marry Multiple Men Simultaneously

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Places on Earth Where Women Can Marry Multiple Men Simultaneously

Women dressed with Indian traditional clothes. Credit: Flickr / Kate Dreyer

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Polyandry, a form of marriage in which women may legally be married to multiple men simultaneously, is among the rarest marital structures globally.

Although overshadowed by polygyny, in which one man is legally married to more than one woman, polyandry has persisted in certain cultures throughout history and continues to adapt to modern contexts.

From ancient Greece to today’s Himalayan villages, polyandry illustrates how human relationships evolve to address economic, social, and environmental challenges.

Historical practices in Sparta and beyond

Polyandry’s roots can be traced to ancient societies in which the need to survive shaped marital customs. In Sparta, a militarized Greek city-state, marriage focused less on romance and more on producing strong offspring for the army.

Historical accounts, such as those by ancient Greek historian Plutarch, suggest that Spartan women had the autonomy to procreate with other men if a husband could not father children. This practice, though not explicitly polyandrous, resembled shared paternity systems seen in other cultures.

In some Spartan families, brothers or other close male relatives shared the responsibility of raising children. This arrangement mirrored fraternal polyandry, later documented in places such as Tibet, where brothers marry the same woman to prevent land division.

In Sparta, however, the primary goal was not economic but rather to strengthen the state’s military power, aligning family dynamics with national priorities.

Polyandry in modern communities

Despite its decline in many regions, polyandry survives in specific parts of the world, often as a practical response to environmental, and sometimes demographic challenges.

India

In the Himalayan regions, including Himachal Pradesh’s Kinnaur district and parts of Uttarakhand, fraternal polyandry helps families retain land and resources. The

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in Tamil Nadu practices unique marital customs, emphasizing communal child-rearing.

Nepal

Remote areas like Dolpa, Humla, and Upper Mustang continue to embrace

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to maintain family unity and ensure agricultural productivity in harsh terrains.

Tibet and Bhutan

In rural Tibetan Autonomous Regions fraternal polyandry remains prevalent, aiding families in managing farms collectively.

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practices polyandry for similar economic reasons.

Other Regions

In Sri Lanka, under Kandyan Marriage Law, rural communities informally practice a system known as “eka-ge-kama,” where multiple husbands share a wife.

Indigenous Amazonian tribes, such as the Tupi-Kawahib, recognize partible paternity, where children are understood to have multiple fathers.

Polyandry or marriage of a woman to 2 or more men at the same time, still exists in China!

It’s a traditional form of marriage in Tibetan areas where a woman marries into a family of brothers. A Han vlogger interviewed a 25 yr old Tibetan woman in Diqing, Yunnan province who has…

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— Carl Zha (@CarlZha)

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Types and Motivations

Polyandry takes different forms depending on cultural and economic circumstances:

Fraternal Polyandry: Brothers share a wife to avoid dividing family property, as seen in

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and parts of India.

Non-Fraternal Polyandry: Husbands are unrelated, as practiced by some Amazonian tribes.

Successional Polyandry: A widow marries her late husband’s brother to maintain familial support, a tradition observed historically in several cultures.

Motivations for polyandry often include:

Economic Necessity: Sharing a wife consolidates resources in resource-scarce regions.

Population Control: Smaller family units ensure sustainable living in challenging environments.

Cultural Tradition: In some communities, polyandry aligns with collective values and survival strategies.

Decline in practice

Polyandry is gradually fading due to modernization, legal restrictions, and changing social norms. Urbanization and economic development reduce the reliance on traditional practices, while laws in countries like Nepal and India prohibit polyandrous marriages. Monogamy, often promoted by religious and cultural institutions, has become the global standard, further marginalizing polyandry.

From ancient Sparta’s pragmatic marital arrangements to the enduring traditions of Himalayan communities, polyandry demonstrates the flexibility of human relationships. It challenges conventional gender roles and offers insights into resource-sharing and cooperation.

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