Polyandry
A rare marriage form where a woman has multiple husbands.
Polyandry is a form of polygamy in which a woman takes two or more husbands at the same time. It is contrasted with polygyny, involving one male and two or more females. Polyandry is a rare form of marriage that exists not only among peasant families but also among elite families, and is believed to be more likely in societies with scarce environmental resources.
- Type
- Form of polygamy
- Contrasted with
- Polygyny
- Societies with polyandry (1980 Ethnograp
- 4 out of 1,231
- Common regions
- Himalayan mountain region, Tibet, Nepal, parts of India, China
- Associated belief
- Partible paternity
- Key function
- Limits population growth, enhances child survival, prevents land fragmentation
Lore & Background
Polyandry is a form of polygamy in which a woman takes two or more husbands at the same time. It is contrasted with polygyny, involving one male and two or more females. If a marriage involves a plural number of husbands and wives of each gender, it can be called polygamy, group or conjoint marriage. In its broadest use, polyandry refers to sexual relations with multiple males within or without marriage. Of the 1,231 societies listed in the 1980 Ethnographic Atlas, 186 were found to be monogamous, 453 had occasional polygyny, 588 had more frequent polygyny, and four had polyandry. Polyandry is less rare than this figure suggests, as it considered only those examples found in the Himalayan mountain region (eight societies). More recent studies have found at least four other societies practicing polyandry.
Reader's Guide
Polyandry is significant as a rare and culturally specific marriage system that addresses environmental and economic pressures, particularly in regions with scarce land or resources. In the Himalayan mountains, polyandry is related to the scarcity of land; the marriage of all brothers in a family to the same wife allows family land to remain intact and undivided, preventing unsustainable fragmentation. This practice is associated with partible paternity, the cultural belief that a child can have more than one father. Polyandry is believed to limit human population growth and enhance child survival. It has been documented in Tibet, Nepal, parts of India, Bhutan, and among some African and indigenous communities. The system also appears in successional and associated forms, and has been noted in historical records such as the reforms of the Sumerian king Urukagina, who abolished polyandry. Its legacy includes ongoing practice among certain ethnic groups and its role in anthropological studies of kinship, resource management, and gender relations.
Did You Know?
- Of the 1,231 societies listed in the 1980 Ethnographic Atlas, only four had polyandry.
- Fraternal polyandry is practiced among Tibetans in Nepal and parts of China, where two or more brothers are married to the same wife.
- Polyandry is believed to limit human population growth and enhance child survival.
- The Sumerian king Urukagina of Lagash abolished polyandry around 2300 BC, with punishment by stoning.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Polyandry?
Polyandry is a marriage arrangement in which one woman is simultaneously married to two or more men. It is the least common form of polygamous union and serves as the direct structural counterpart to polygyny.
How does Polyandry differ from Polygyny?
Where polygyny pairs a single man with multiple women, polyandry inverts that structure so one woman shares multiple husbands. The two terms are mirror images of each other within the broader category of polygamy.
Where is Polyandry actually practiced?
The practice is most concentrated in the Himalayan mountain region, spanning Tibet, Nepal, and parts of northern India and China. As of the 1980 Ethnographic Atlas, only roughly four out of 1,231 documented societies exhibited any form of polyandry.
Why do some societies adopt Polyandry?
In environments with scarce resources, polyandry helps cap population growth, improves child-survival odds, and prevents family land from being fractured into unworkable strips. The arrangement can appear among both peasant and elite households.
What cultural belief is linked to Polyandry?
Many communities that practice polyandry hold the concept of partible paternity, meaning several fathers can each be regarded as a genuine parent of the same child. This belief culturally reinforces the legitimacy of shared husbandry.
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