Editing Polygamy (section)

==Biological and social distinctions==
The term "polygamy" may be referring to one of various relational types, depending upon context. Four overlapping definitions can be adapted from the work of Ulrich Reichard and others:<ref name="Reichard, 2003">{{cite book |first1=Ulrich H. |last1=Reichard |chapter=Monogamy: past and present |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zIu2K6KFsXEC&pg=PA3 |pages=3–25 |year=2003 |editor1-first=Ulrich H. |editor1-last=Reichard |editor2-first=Christophe |editor2-last=Boesch |title=Monogamy: Mating Strategies and Partnerships in Birds, Humans and Other Mammals |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-52577-0 |access-date=2016-01-05 |archive-date=2016-06-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160603161358/https://books.google.com/books?id=zIu2K6KFsXEC&pg=PA3 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* ''Marital polygamy'' occurs when an individual is married to more than one person. The other spouses may or may not be married to one another.
* ''Social polygamy'' occurs when an individual has multiple partners that they live with, have sex with, and cooperate with in acquiring basic resources (such as shelter, food and money).
* ''Sexual polygamy'' refers to individuals who have more than one sexual partner or who have sex partners outside of a primary relationship.
* ''Genetic polygamy'' refers to sexual relationships that result in children who have genetic evidence of different [[Paternity (law)|paternity]].

[[Biologist]]s, [[biological anthropologist]]s, and [[behavioral ecologist]]s often use ''polygamy'' in the sense of a lack of sexual or genetic (reproductive) exclusivity.<ref name="Low, 2003">Low B.S. (2003) [https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Bobbi_Low/publication/237010580_Ecological_and_social_complexities_in_human_monogamy/links/0deec51ae3e528b821000000.pdf Ecological and social complexities in human monogamy] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180713201500/https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Bobbi_Low/publication/237010580_Ecological_and_social_complexities_in_human_monogamy/links/0deec51ae3e528b821000000.pdf |date=2018-07-13 }}. Monogamy: Mating Strategies and Partnerships in Birds, Humans and Other Mammals:161–176.</ref> When cultural or social [[anthropologist]]s and other [[social scientists]] use the term polygamy, the meaning is social or marital polygamy.<ref name="Low, 2003"/><ref name="Reichard, 2003"/>

In contrast, marital monogamy may be distinguished between:
# ''classical monogamy'', "a single relationship between people who marry as [[Virginity|virgins]], remain sexually exclusive their entire lives, and become [[Celibacy|celibate]] upon the death of the partner"<ref name="Sheff" />
# [[#Serial monogamy|''serial monogamy'']], marriage with only one other person at a time, in contrast to [[bigamy]] or polygamy<ref name="BRIT">Cf. "Monogamy" in ''Britannica World Language Dictionary'', R.C. Preble (ed.), Oxford-London 1962, p. 1275:''1. The practice or principle of marrying only once. opp. to digamy now ''rare'' 2. The condition, rule or custom of being married to only one [[person]] at a time (opp. to polygamy or bigamy) 1708. 3. [[Zoology|Zool.]] The habit of living in pairs, or having only one mate''; The same text repeats ''The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary'', W. Little, H.W. Fowler, J. Coulson (ed.), C.T. Onions (rev. & ed.,) Oxford 1969, 3rd edition, vol.1, p.1275; [http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/00314586 OED Online]. March 2010. Oxford University Press. 23 Jun. 2010 Cf. [http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monogamy Monogamy] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150623232650/http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monogamy |date=2015-06-23 }} in Merriam-Webster Dictionary</ref> Some definitions of serial monogamy consider it to be polygamy, as it can result in evidence of genetic polygamy. It can also be considered polygamy for anthropological reasons.

Outside of the legal sphere, defining polygamy can be difficult because of differences in cultural assumptions regarding monogamy. Some societies believe that monogamy requires limiting sexual activity to a single partner for life.<ref name="Sheff">{{cite web|url=https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-polyamorists-next-door/201407/seven-forms-non-monogamy|author=Sheff, Elisabeth|title=Seven Forms of Non-Monogamy|date=July 22, 2014|website=Psychology Today}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last1=Kramer | first1=Karen L. | last2=Russell | first2=Andrew F. | title=Kin-selected cooperation without lifetime monogamy: human insights and animal implications | journal=Trends in Ecology & Evolution | publisher=Elsevier BV | volume=29 | issue=11 | year=2014 | issn=0169-5347 | doi=10.1016/j.tree.2014.09.001 | pages=600–606| pmid=25267298 | bibcode=2014TEcoE..29..600K }}</ref> Others accept or endorse pre-marital sex prior to marriage.<ref>{{citation | last=Schacht | first=Ryan N. | title=Cassava and the Makushi: A Shared History of Resiliency and Transformation | publisher=Bloomsbury, T&T Clark | year=2013 | pages=15–30 | doi=10.5040/9781350042162.ch-001| isbn=9781350042162 }}</ref> Some societies consider sex outside of marriage<ref>{{cite book | last1=Beckerman | first1=Stephen | last2=Valentine | first2=Paul | title=Cultures of Multiple Fathers | date=2002 | publisher=University Press of Florida | isbn=0-8130-2456-0}}</ref> or "spouse swapping"<ref>{{cite journal | last=Hennigh | first=Lawrence | title=Functions and Limitations of Alaskan Eskimo Wife Trading | journal=Arctic | publisher=The Arctic Institute of North America | volume=23 | issue=1 | date=1970-01-01 | issn=1923-1245 | doi=10.14430/arctic3151| doi-access=free }}</ref> to be socially acceptable. Some consider a relationship monogamous even if partners separate and move to a new monogamous relationship through death, divorce, or simple dissolution of the relationship, regardless of the length of the relationship (serial monogamy).<ref name="Schacht">{{cite journal |title=Are We Monogamous? A Review of the Evolution of Pair-Bonding in Humans and Its Contemporary Variation Cross-Culturally |journal=Front. Ecol. Evol. |date=2019-07-19 |last1=Schacht |first1=Ryan |last2=Kramer |first2=Karen |volume=7 |doi=10.3389/fevo.2019.00230 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Anthropologists characterize human beings as “mildly polygynous” or “monogamous with polygynous tendencies.”<ref name="pmid19403194">{{cite journal | last1=Brown | first1=Gillian R. | last2=Laland | first2=Kevin N. | last3=Mulder | first3=Monique Borgerhoff | title=Bateman's principles and human sex roles | journal=Trends in Ecology & Evolution | publisher=Elsevier BV | volume=24 | issue=6 | year=2009 | issn=0169-5347 | doi=10.1016/j.tree.2009.02.005 | pages=297–304| pmid=19403194 | pmc=3096780 | bibcode=2009TEcoE..24..297B | s2cid=5935377 }}</ref><ref name="Frost">{{cite journal | last=Frost | first=Peter | title=Sexual selection and human geographic variation. | journal=Journal of Social, Evolutionary, and Cultural Psychology | publisher=American Psychological Association (APA) | volume=2 | issue=4 | year=2008 | issn=1933-5377 | doi=10.1037/h0099346 | pages=169–191}}</ref><ref name="Low">{{cite book | last=Low | first=Bobbi S. | title=Why Sex Matters | publisher=Princeton University Press | date=2015-01-04 | isbn=978-0-691-16388-8}}</ref><ref name="Scheidel">{{cite journal | last=Scheidel | first=Walter | title=Monogamy and Polygyny in Greece, Rome, and World History | journal=SSRN Electronic Journal | publisher=Elsevier BV | year=2008 | issn=1556-5068 | doi=10.2139/ssrn.1214729}}</ref>  The average pre-historic man with modern descendants appears to have had children with between 1.5 women (70,000 years ago) to 3.3 women (45,000 years ago), except in East Asia.<ref name="pmid25254093">{{cite journal | last1=Lippold | first1=Sebastian | last2=Xu | first2=Hongyang | last3=Ko | first3=Albert | last4=Li | first4=Mingkun | last5=Renaud | first5=Gabriel | last6=Butthof | first6=Anne | last7=Schröder | first7=Roland | last8=Stoneking | first8=Mark | title=Human paternal and maternal demographic histories: insights from high-resolution Y chromosome and mtDNA sequences | journal=Investigative Genetics | publisher=Springer Science and Business Media LLC | volume=5 | issue=1 | date=2014-09-24 | page=13 | issn=2041-2223 | doi=10.1186/2041-2223-5-13| pmid=25254093 | pmc=4174254 | s2cid=16464327 | doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=Sample | first=Ian | title=More women than men have added their DNA to the human gene pool | website=the Guardian | date=2014-09-24 | url=http://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/sep/24/women-men-dna-human-gene-pool | access-date=2023-06-30 | archive-date=30 June 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230630220104/https://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/sep/24/women-men-dna-human-gene-pool | url-status=live }}</ref> While the forms of non-monogamy in prehistorical times is unknown, these rates could be consistent with a society that practices serial monogamy. Anthropological observations indicate that even when polygyny is accepted in the community, the majority of relationships in the society are monogamous in practice – while couples remain in the relationship, which may not be lifelong.<ref name="Schacht" /> Thus, in many historical communities, serial monogamy may have been the accepted practice rather than a lifelong monogamous bond.<ref name="Schacht" /> The genetic record indicates that monogamy increased within the last 5,000-10,000 years,<ref name="pmid12962309">{{cite journal |last1=Dupanloup |first1=Isabelle |last2=Pereira |first2=Luisa |last3=Bertorelle |first3=Giorgio |last4=Calafell |first4=Francesc |last5=Prata |first5=Maria |last6=Amorim |first6=Antonio |last7=Barbujani |first7=Guido |display-authors=etal |title=A recent shift from polygyny to monogamy in humans is suggested by the analysis of worldwide Y-chromosome diversity. |journal=J Mol Evol |year=2003 |volume=57 |issue=1 |pages=85–97 |pmid=12962309 |doi=10.1007/s00239-003-2458-x |pmc= |bibcode=2003JMolE..57...85D |s2cid=2673314 |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12962309 |access-date=28 August 2023 |archive-date=28 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230528105252/https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12962309/ |url-status=live }}</ref> a period associated with the development of human agriculture, non-communal land ownership, and inheritance.<ref name="Goody" />