WI: Secular Polygamy?

All the news we hear about Polygamous cults and got me to thinking, why does it have to be a radical religious ideology? Is it possible to get a secular polygamous movement in the United States? If so how? What effects would it have on our culture/society?
 
All the news we hear about Polygamous cults and got me to thinking, why does it have to be a radical religious ideology? Is it possible to get a secular polygamous movement in the United States? If so how? What effects would it have on our culture/society?

polygamy accounts for 80-85% of all marriages historically.
 

Sachyriel

Banned
All the news we hear about Polygamous cults and got me to thinking, why does it have to be a radical religious ideology? Is it possible to get a secular polygamous movement in the United States? If so how? What effects would it have on our culture/society?

Yeah, there are many people who advocate allowing people to do what they wish without state intervention. They're called Libertarians (and my favourite, Anarchists, but we'll not start that in here). The swinger movement is still big, and since the divorce rate is pretty high, you can say that there is a lack of a monogamous culture.
 
Yeah, there are many people who advocate allowing people to do what they wish without state intervention. They're called Libertarians (and my favourite, Anarchists, but we'll not start that in here). The swinger movement is still big, and since the divorce rate is pretty high, you can say that there is a lack of a monogamous culture.
In your second statement I think you are confusing polygamy with polyamory.
 
It could happen after a very disastrous war. Not likely with our social norms but it could happen. Maybe if society secularises even more and government allows for polygamy (and polyandry) similar to same-sex unions or if groups belonging to culture where this is present convince government to recognise such unions and then this spreads outside such groups as well.
 

Neroon

Banned
The problem with that is, that if you want to create a big political movement to overturn what has long been a huge social taboo you need money, money and more money (ok you also need people and influence, but money can buy these). Men high enough on the food chain to qualify for that, already can live de-facto polygamously.
 
'Traditional' Monogomous marriage was very much about men being sure of who their children were.

Polygamy is about giving a certain number of powerful males the right to dominate a larger group.

There are all sorts of other views of relationship and sexuality other than these.
 
The problem with that is, that if you want to create a big political movement to overturn what has long been a huge social taboo you need money, money and more money (ok you also need people and influence, but money can buy these). Men high enough on the food chain to qualify for that, already can live de-facto polygamously.

Yes, but what they cannot do is treat the subsequent women equally or better than the first, or make their bastards equal or better than their legitimate children.

If they want to legitimize polygamy, they are coming up against their first wives - who are women - but also against their first fathers-in-law and brethren-in-law. And rich men who can try to get away with polygamy tend to have rich in-laws to protect their first wives and their children.
 
Anyone have any solid ideas as too a possible POD? Like maybe for example, Polygamy becomes dominant in early Mormon Utah, but as time goes on the Mormon culture becomes more secularized due to other groups coming in?
 
It's the wrong forum for it, but It would be interesting to have France or Germany reintroducing Polygamy after WWI to correct the gender imbalance and ensure a population growth ( for the next round, obviously ).

EDIT - or what about USSR? Monogamy is a bourgeois value. The New way is to get more women for the deserving menbers of the communist party.
 
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Polygamy just doesn't work in a modern society. The natural balance of men:women is too even (more men even).
It only works in primitive societies as there lots of men have a habit of dying in various work accidents or wars more than women do.
I'll agree that it could maybe be done after a big war...but how could you get a conventional war so big?

Thinking further...I suppose it could work if its very tightly controlled. Say Islamic style only harder, only in very certain situations- i.e. your brother dies then you take his wife or somesuch.
 
I tried the "living with multiple girlfriends" It is expensive, exhausting and complicated.

As for a PoD, you need something that kills off a lot of the male population for one or two generations. Maybe a different and even more exhausting WWI. Some countries legalize polygamy afterwards. They raise a bigger generation. And when the equvialent of WWII rolls around....

(Lets face it, even a much harsher WWI isnt going to end war)
 
Actually, polygamy is perfectly possible, theoretically. Have polyandry as well as the polygyny that e.g. the Mormons use and you can balance things out!

Lots of variants are possible. I knew a grouping (in Berkeley, as you might imagine) where there were 5 people in the 'marriage'. I THINK it was 3 men and 2 women, but I only knew 3 of the 5 at all well, and it's been a while.
 
I think as a result of the Thirty Years' War in Germany, polygamy was reintroduced in places.

(I imagine it didn't last beyond the immediate population crisis, since I remember reading it in one very obscure place)
 
It could have easily happened in the US after the Civil War. In the Mississippi River states, Tennessee and Kentucky, there was a severe depletion of the male population after the war. Suppose the Mormons had not evacuated Nauvoo, IL in 1846. They could have spread their influence southward and possibly introduced polygamy into society in general in the male-depleted Southern states.

Kind of a hard argument in a conservative Christian region, but also one without today's telecommunication. Besides, many could not read.
 
Polygamy just doesn't work in a modern society. The natural balance of men:women is too even (more men even).
It only works in primitive societies as there lots of men have a habit of dying in various work accidents or wars more than women do.
I'll agree that it could maybe be done after a big war...but how could you get a conventional war so big?

Thinking further...I suppose it could work if its very tightly controlled. Say Islamic style only harder, only in very certain situations- i.e. your brother dies then you take his wife or somesuch.


Hmm, I know this is the pre-1900 forum, but

This does strike me almost impossible without either a very early POD or a very late POD (modern secular society ).

POD 1983ish Louis Farrakahan, in a response to the Genocide of crack and prison inflected upon the Black Race by the American goverment reintroduces polygamy in his sect.

(I actually saw a article in Essence or Jet about sharing because of the low numbers of "eligable black men", caught my eye on the cover while checking out hot girl:eek:).

Fears of being called racism prevents early crushing. Slowly sprend through black community for a couple years with certain high profile sports and music people popularizing it.

Finally high profile case, generating huge scandal. Press condemnation weakened by accusantions of racism.

Defendants win the court case (activist judge? religious freedom? comparison with other blended families?)

Ruling written in such a way to allow secular polygamy or quickly followed up by non-religious polygamist claiming unfairness.

Say around 1992?

THoughs?
 
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