Verified Document

Unhitched A South African Slant Term Paper

As a case in point, the chapter begins with the case of U.S. Congressman Vito Fossella, who would not visit family when his gay sister was present, but who secretly had a relationship and child with a woman other than his wife. According to the author (p. 123), "Vito and Victoria Fossella represent two of the decidedly unwitting bedfellows who jostle uncomfortably beneath the patchwork quilt of contemporary family forms and values." Interestingly, the chapter points out that polygamy has historically been much more prevalent than monogamy, which was historically practiced by less than one quarter of the world's population. Again investigating the situation in South Africa, where polygamy is legalized, the author shows that there are several manifestations of this phenomenon. Some men, for example, do not bother to register polygamous marriages, since they started with a civil marriage, which precludes a legal change to polygamy....

Other men engage in long-term extra-marital affairs, some of which are so culturally acceptable that mistresses are introduced to wives, and husbands divide their time among their different sets of families.
One interesting point the chapter makes is that polygamy in modern societies are on the decline simply for economic reasons, where few can afford more than one wife and family, especially if the wives are not wage earners. The rest of the chapter considers various forms of polygamous marriages in South Africa, all of which are apparently consensual among the husband and wives, although some jealousy issues arise from time to time. The chapter indicates that this type of marriage is likely to gradually vanish as South Africa's economy modernizes.

Stacey, J. (2011). Unhitched: Love, Marriage, and Family Values from West Hollywood to Western China. NYU Press.

Sources used in this document:
Interestingly, the chapter points out that polygamy has historically been much more prevalent than monogamy, which was historically practiced by less than one quarter of the world's population. Again investigating the situation in South Africa, where polygamy is legalized, the author shows that there are several manifestations of this phenomenon. Some men, for example, do not bother to register polygamous marriages, since they started with a civil marriage, which precludes a legal change to polygamy. Although not legally married, they openly practice this. Other men engage in long-term extra-marital affairs, some of which are so culturally acceptable that mistresses are introduced to wives, and husbands divide their time among their different sets of families.

One interesting point the chapter makes is that polygamy in modern societies are on the decline simply for economic reasons, where few can afford more than one wife and family, especially if the wives are not wage earners. The rest of the chapter considers various forms of polygamous marriages in South Africa, all of which are apparently consensual among the husband and wives, although some jealousy issues arise from time to time. The chapter indicates that this type of marriage is likely to gradually vanish as South Africa's economy modernizes.

Stacey, J. (2011). Unhitched: Love, Marriage, and Family Values from West Hollywood to Western China. NYU Press.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Polygamy Should the State of Missouri Legalize
Words: 1546 Length: 5 Document Type: Research Paper

Polygamy Should the state of Missouri legalize polygamy? Comprising 114 counties, Missouri is a U.S. state located in mid-west of the country. The debate of whether or not legalize polygamy (i.e. one man marrying many women) is ethically evaluated here using ethical method and theories. Five-point analysis method for resolving ethical dilemmas Ethical questions are deep rooted in the emotions of individuals as well as the society. It is not easy to present and

Polygamy an Unwelcome Societal Practice in the United States
Words: 923 Length: 3 Document Type: Term Paper

Polygamy, or the practice of having more than one spouse at a time, is a very controversial issue that provides many ethical, moral and practical questions that surround the idea and its implementation into society. The purpose of this essay is to describe the practice of polygamy and why this practice is unwise to participate in due to the many risks toward mental, physical and spiritual health. This essay will first

Polygamy in Recent Years the Issue of
Words: 3098 Length: 9 Document Type: Term Paper

Polygamy In recent years the issue of Polygamy has received a great deal of attention. The purpose of this discussion is to examine the practice of polygamy. The research will uncover that although polygamy has some disadvantages including family division, there are also some very real advantages associated with the practice and a balanced view of the practice is often lacking in the western world. Polygamy is defined as "marriage in which

Polygamy Began As a Practice in the
Words: 1612 Length: 5 Document Type: Research Paper

Polygamy began as a practice in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS), which was commonly known as the Mormon Church, between 1830s and 40s. The main reason why polygamy was common during the period was as a result of religion to multiply and replenish the earth. In 1890, plural marriages were prohibited by LDS, although the practice continued to exist in small subgroups. Polygamy is a relationship

Polygamy Family Systems
Words: 2167 Length: 7 Document Type: Term Paper

Polygamy On the surface, and with the most shallow of analyses, polygamy would seem to be protected by the First Amendment freedom of religion clause because polygamy in the United States is mainly a phenomenon among specific religious groups -- namely Mormons, fundamentalist Christians, and Muslims (Turley). In fact, even a polygamous marriage that was not rooted in religious tradition could be protected under the Due Process clause, which basically encompasses

Polygamy in Recent Months the
Words: 2596 Length: 8 Document Type: Thesis

12 You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel." David then repented and ultimately he put away all of his wives and concubines. He took physical care of them but he no longer had sex with any of them. It is believed that his first wife had died and only Bathsheba was left and they bore another son named Solomon. It

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now