Polygamy Essay, Research Paper
Polygamy
Two Wives are Better than One
Have you ever imagined what life would be like when you are married? Does sleeping with the same person every night for the rest of your life sound appealing? If not, you share the same beliefs as the millions of people who practice polygamy instead of a traditional marriage. Polygamy is defined as the having of a plurality of wives or husbands at the same time (Dictionary.com). Although conventional marriage is simply a single man and a single woman joined together in holy matrimony. Both polygamy and conventional marriage can be successful, but polygamy is a better relationship structure than a traditional marriage because children are raised in a better environment, all parties can pursue their careers, and divorce is less likely.
One of polygamy s advantages is the tight-knitted family environment. Each family member is an integral part of the household. A good example of this is in childcare. Each child has not one parent, but several parents contributing to teaching the child values. Another example of this family environment is the lack of necessity of a daycare center. While one parent is away, the other is home with the child. With several parents of the child present, the child can be cared for with relative ease (Hines 119).
A conventional marriage cannot supply the child with such exceptional care. Usually, both parties work full-time jobs to help support their family, leaving their childcare up to someone else. But what does the couple do with their child while away at work? Devastatingly enough, they hire adolescents to baby-sit their child. Or sometimes they hire a child day-care facility. Neither a teenager nor a day-care center could care for a child in the same manner a trusted family member could. The parents should be the ones teaching their children values, but in this case, the parents just do not have the adequate time and ability that the polygamists possess. This is primarily caused by the married couple s careers.
It is important that we enjoy ourselves during what little time we have on the earth. This is why everyone should pursue a career field that they enjoy, whether it is a housewife or even a lawyer. In polygamy, each individual involved has ample opportunity to pursue a career that they enjoy. Elizabeth Joseph, a practicing polygamist, lawyer, and author of several magazine articles concerning polygamy discusses that with polygamy, each family member has more freedom to choose their career without fear of financial burden (Joseph 167). Several family members contribute instead of only two. Making the burden significantly less.
Employment is often a hassle in conventional marriages. There are too many variables to consider while looking for a job. First the couple must find jobs that they enjoy, make sure the work schedule will accommodate both mates, and ensure economic stability. Fulfilling only one of these requirements is an enormous task in itself, but for a marriage to be successful, each one of these must be fulfilled to best of their ability. In Polygamy, there are several family members involved, thus making the strain much easier. Money is definitely not happiness, but without adequate funds, the road to happiness often leads to a broken home.
The biggest problem of marriage is the dramatic chance of divorce. Of any given marriage, there is a fifty percent chance of it ending in a divorce (James 145). Often, one of the big reasons is the partners growing tired of the daily grind. In polygamy, it is possible to make love, go out with, or simply talk to a different partner all the time. Also as mentioned above, polygamy also helps the families become stable financially, which also keeps the marriage together. Polygamy keeps all parties involved happy, especially the children. Many children suffer from broken homes and broken hearts because of unsuccessful marriages. Polygamy eliminates this factor with such a low rate of broken homes. The welfare of a child in a polygamous household is very promising; it greatly outweighs that of a conventional marriage.
Unfortunately, there are many things that can go wrong in the conventional marriage. You can grow tired of your partner, you can be too different, or maybe you have too high expectations for your marriage. It is a real struggle for some conventional marriages to work, on the other hand, it is really easy to customize a polygamous relationship to fit your needs.
Many people dislike the practice of polygamy because they feel that it is morally wrong. What they fail to realize is that polygamy is not for everybody (Hines 121). The same argument can be said about premarital sex, and a greater number of people practice this than polygamy. The fact is that everyone s morals and values are different, this is what makes our society so diverse and interesting. We cannot base the adequacy of a lifestyle based on a criterion that varies from person-to-person.
Some people may argue that children raised in a polygamous lifestyle would be at a disadvantage rather than an advantage. This claim is totally absurd. Although children can be raised perfectly in conventional marriages, it is easier with polygamous marriages. Because of the many family members teaching values, providing financial support, and baby-sitting, the strain of raising a child is lessened.
Clearly, because of the evidence above, the advantages of polygamy outweigh the advantages of a conventional marriage. It is my opinion that polygamy is only scarcely practiced because the general public is unaware of the advantages of a multi-partner relationship. Polygamy is not for everyone, but the open-minded will definitely reap the benefits for years to come.
Works Cited
Dictionary.com. 28 Mar. 1999: .
Emily, Hines. Menage a lot. Jane Aug. 1998: 119-121.
James, Jessica. My Crumpled Marriage. Maxim Sept. 1990: 145-146.
Joseph, Elizabeth. My Husband s Nine Wives. The Little Brown Reader. Eds. Sylvan Burnet, Marcia Stubbs. New York: Harper Collins. 177-171.
Joseph, Elizabeth. Polygamy Now. Harper s Feb. 1998: 26-28.
Thompson, Carmen. Memories of a Plural Wife. Good Housekeeping. Mar. 1999: 118-121.
Williams, Florence. Polygamy in America. North American Review. Mar. 1995: 4-9.