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Essay / Cultural Differences Between Monogamy and Polygamy . (Heider 2007) The extreme view of cultural relativity holds that whatever a culture believes in must be accepted. (Heider 2007) When it comes to marriage types, acceptance of polygamy depends more than anything on geography. In the United States, polygamy is not the norm and is illegal. In many other parts of the world, this practice is not only legal, but also culturally accepted and economically and socially beneficial. Any type of marriage has advantages and disadvantages. Monogamy, with only one spouse, is the most accepted form of marriage in the United States and around the world. Marriage is a socially recognized union, and monogamous marriages have advantages. On a relational level, there is a stronger bond between spouses, which allows greater sexual access to the spouse. This access generally produces children, and children receive higher quality care in a monogamous household. Polyandry and polygyny are the two types of polygamy. In polyandry, a woman has several husbands. This practice is rare and is a cultural solution used for specific problems. It is known to be practiced in the Himalayas, where men, as brothers, share a wife. This practice can sometimes be found in tribes in Africa, such as the Balele of the Democratic Republic of Congo. An advantage of polyandry for a tribe with limited access to land, for example, is that family land and livestock do not have to be divided as dowry. Bride's wealth is a tradition in which the husband's tribe or family would pay or compensate middle of paper......rch, said God told him to propagate the practice of polygamy in order to "get multiply”. (Layton 2010) In tribal horticultural societies where women are part of the domestic workforce, polygamy has been part of their culture since its beginnings. Viewed through the principle of cultural relativity, there are good reasons for the practice of polygamy in all groups and, like those of monogamists, their beliefs must be respected. Works cited by Clark, Josh and Chuck Bryant. 2010-05-05-sysk-multiple-spouses What you need to know. 2010. MP3 Podcast. Heider, Karl G. Seeing anthropology, cultural anthropology through cinema. Fourth. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc., 2007. Layton, Julia. "
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