South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs seems to have lit a powder keg following its proposals to introduce marriage laws that allow polya...
- Advertisement -
South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs seems to have lit a powder keg following its proposals to introduce marriage laws that allow polyandry.
According to the Green Paper on Marriages, a policy document published last week, the current marriage act does not promote equality.In a bid to fix this, the Department of Home Affairs is exploring the option of allowing women to marry more than one husband, in the same way, that polygamous men are allowed to marry more than one wife.
The Green Paper called for polyandry to be legally recognised as a form of marriage. Polyandry is a form of polygamy in which a woman takes two or more husbands at the same time. Polyandry is contrasted with polygyny, which involves one man taking two or more wives.
South Africans have until the end of June to comment on the department’s proposals. Unsurprisingly, the proposal on polyandry is wreaking havoc across the country and has resulted in mixed reactions. Not just in South Africa, but across the world.
Some people have denounced the proposal of polyandry as being unAfrican while the more religious have cited this as a sign of the Biblical end of times. However, others have welcomed the proposal saying it is a boon for equality.
The Green Paper called for polyandry to be legally recognised as a form of marriage. Polyandry is a form of polygamy in which a woman takes two or more husbands at the same time. Polyandry is contrasted with polygyny, which involves one man taking two or more wives.
South Africans have until the end of June to comment on the department’s proposals. Unsurprisingly, the proposal on polyandry is wreaking havoc across the country and has resulted in mixed reactions. Not just in South Africa, but across the world.
 |
| South Africa has Proposed Polyandry |
Some are also poking fun at the alleged hypocrisy of people who believe in polygamy to be against polyandry. Polyandry is a form of polygamy in which a woman takes two or more husbands at the same time. Polyandry is contrasted with polygyny, involving one male and two or more females.
If a marriage involves a plural number of "husbands and wives" participants of each gender, then 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 4 had polyandry. Polyandry is less rare than this figure suggests, as it considered only those examples found in the Himalayan mountains (28 societies). More recent studies have found more than 50 other societies practicing polyandry.
Fraternal polyandry is practiced among Tibetans in Nepal and parts of China, in which two or more brothers are married to the same wife, with the wife having equal "sexual access" to them. It is associated with partible paternity, the cultural belief that a child can have more than one father.
Several ethnic groups practicing polyandry in India identify their customs with their descent from Draupadi, a central character of the Mahabharta who was married to five brothers, although local practices may not be fraternal themselves.
Polyandry is believed to be more likely in societies with scarce environmental resources. It is believed to limit human population growth and enhance child survival. It is a rare form of marriage that exists not only among peasant families but also among the elite families. For example, polyandry in the Himalayan mountains is related to the scarcity of land.
Polyandry is believed to be more likely in societies with scarce environmental resources. It is believed to limit human population growth and enhance child survival. It is a rare form of marriage that exists not only among peasant families but also among the elite families. For example, polyandry in the Himalayan mountains 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. If every brother married separately and had children, family land would be split into unsustainable small plots. In contrast, very poor persons not owning land were less likely to practice polyandry in Buddhist Ladakh and Zanskar.
In Europe, the splitting up of land was prevented through the social practice of impartible inheritance. With most siblings disinherited, many of them became celibate monks and priests. Polyandrous mating systems are also a common phenomenon in the animal kingdom.
In August 2013, two Kenyan men entered into an agreement to marry a woman with whom they had both been having an affair. Kenyan law does not explicitly forbid polyandry, although it is not a common custom.
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -
Tinzwei Is A Worth Voyage For Those In Pursuit For Up-To-Date World Events.
Read More At The Online Coronavirus Portal Or Use The 24-Hour Public Hotline:
South Africa: 0800 029 999 or just Send Hie to 0600 123 456 on WhatsApp
No comments