Polyandry is not as rare as commonly thought

polyandry (.pdf) (polyandry) - this phenomenon when, for any reason, society allows a woman to enter into marriage with several men. It is believed that this happens very rarely - it showed anthropological discoveries of recent decades. But new evidence suggests that polyandry was very common in human society, and appeared in different cultures, although it was not as popular as polygamy or monogamy.

Thus, polyandry often appear because of environmental conditions. For example, in Asia, where it is not enough arable land, polyandry allows families to farm together in the same territory. In this case, all the brothers in the family married to the same woman, allowing the family to remain undivided allotments.

In other cultures, a man could specifically invite the family of her second husband (most often, again, brother) that he defended in his absence, his wife, property, and thus their interests. And if the wife will sexual relations during his absence, it is with those whom the husband has approved in advance. The most common manifestation of polyandry is common among the Eskimos.

In Venezuela, one time was the order of the recognition of a child with two fathers. This was due to the fact that as a child were more likely to live to 15 years.

Another factor leading to polyandry - in a society where men become much more than women. However, hardly a family device will be popular in today's China or India - the world is changing, and its laws are changing too.

via factroom.ru