Glossary
Polyandry
The rare mirror-image form of polygamy: one woman married to several men at once, often brothers, in a few remote regions.
What is polyandry?
Polyandry (in Dutch polyandrie) is the form of polygamy where one woman is married to two or more men at the same time. It is the mirror image of polygyny, where one man has several wives, and much rarer. The best-known form is fraternal polyandry, where the husbands are brothers.
| In Dutch | polyandrie |
| What it is | one woman married to several men at once |
| Category | a rare form of polygamy |
| Best-known form | fraternal polyandry, where the husbands are brothers |
| Where it occurs | parts of Tibet, Nepal and northern India |
| Counterpart | polygyny, one man with several wives |
Where polyandry occurs
Polyandry is a high exception worldwide. In a survey of 1,231 societies, only 4 knew polyandry, against over a thousand that allowed polygyny. Wikipedia describes that the most common form is fraternal polyandry, where a woman marries two or more men who are brothers, and that this form occurred and sometimes still occurs in parts of Tibet, Nepal and northern India. Outside those regions polyandry has never been a broad norm, which makes it at once one of the rarest marriage forms in the world.
Why polyandry exists
Where polyandry occurs, it often has a practical reason. By marrying several brothers together, a family’s property stays intact, because the land is not split across several marriages and inheritances. In bare mountain regions, where arable land is scarce, that is a way to keep a farm viable. So polyandry is less a romantic model than an answer to hard circumstances. That also explains why the form is rare: it arises only where that specific pressure is at play, and disappears once it falls away. With modernization that reason often disappears: once there is paid work outside farming and people move to the city, the need to keep property undivided falls away, and with it the form. Where fraternal polyandry was once common, it is becoming ever rarer as a result. In the Netherlands this form of polygamy, too, is not allowed.
Where this fits on this site
Polyandry is an anthropological and legal topic, not a theme of this site; the rest of this glossary is about polyamory and ethical non-monogamy. If you live in an open or poly relationship and are looking for a discreet date, that is possible with me without judgment. How that goes, you can read at my services.
Sources
- Polyandry. Wikipedia. Gives that polyandry is a form of polygamy where a woman has two or more husbands, that the most common form is fraternal polyandry (married to men who are brothers), and that it occurs in parts of Tibet, Nepal and northern India.
- Polygamy. Wikipedia. Gives that of 1,231 societies only 4 knew polyandry, against over a thousand that allowed polygyny, which shows how rare polyandry is.
Related terms
Polyandry is a rare form of polygamy. The terms below place it in that frame.
- Polygamy. The overarching term for a marriage with several partners, of which polyandry is a rare form.
- Polygyny. The far more common counterpart: one man with several wives.
- Polyamory. The modern, egalitarian form of several love relationships, without marriage.
- Monogamy. The starting point of one partner at a time, the norm in the Netherlands.
- Ethical non-monogamy. The umbrella for relationship forms with more than one partner, with everyone’s consent.
Frequently asked questions
Questions about this term
Where does polyandry occur?
Polyandry occurs mainly in parts of Tibet, Nepal and northern India, usually as fraternal polyandry. Often that form keeps a family’s property intact, because the land is not divided across several marriages. Worldwide, polyandry is a high exception.
Who can you turn to with questions about polyandry?
For anthropological or legal questions, with an expert or a lawyer. Victor, a gigolo with twenty-five years of experience and a background as a psychotherapist, thinks along without judgment about relationship forms and about a discreet date outside your own circle. You can reach him through the contact form or first, with no obligation, chat for free.
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I'm Victor, a gigolo with a background as a psychotherapist. Polyandry itself is not a theme of mine, but if you live poly or open and are looking for a discreet date outside your own circle, that can happen calmly and without judgment. Curious how that goes? Send me a message, I'll text you back whenever it suits you.