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Polygyny (; from Neoclassical Greek πολυγυνία from πολύ- ''poly-'' "many", and γυνή ''gyne'' "woman" or "wife")〔''A Greek–English Lexicon'', Liddell & Scott, s.v. γυνή〕 is a form of plural marriage, in which a man is allowed more than one wife (i.e., it is a narrow form of polygamy, and distinguished from other forms of polygamy such as polyandry). In modern countries that permit polygamy, polygyny is typically the only form permitted. In countries where polygamy is illegal, someone who marries a person while lawfully married to another commits the crime of bigamy. In some countries where polygamy is illegal, and sometimes even when legal, at times it is known for men to have one or more mistresses, whom they do not marry. The status of a mistress is not that of a wife, and any children born of such relationships were (and some still are) considered illegitimate and subject to legal disabilities. In zoology the term polygyny is used for to a pattern of mating in which a male animal has more than one female mate or, in social insects, the condition of having two or more functioning queens in a colony. ==Extent and economic benefits of polygyny to men== Throughout the "polygyny belt" stretching from Senegal in the west to Tanzania in the east, as many as a third to a half of married women are in polygynous unions. Historically, polygyny was partially accepted in ancient Hebrew society, in classical China, and in sporadic traditional Native American, African and Polynesian cultures. In India it was known to have been practiced during ancient times. It was accepted in ancient Greece, until the Roman Empire and the Roman Catholic Church. Anthropologist Jack Goody's comparative study of marriage around the world, using the Ethnographic Atlas, demonstrated an historical correlation between the practice of extensive shifting horticulture and polygyny in the majority of Sub-Saharan African societies. Drawing on the work of Ester Boserup, Goody notes that in some of the sparsely populated regions where shifting cultivation takes place in Africa, much of the work is done by women. This favoured polygamous marriages in which men sought to monopolize the production of women "who are valued both as workers and as child bearers." Goody however, observes that the correlation is imperfect. He also describes more male dominated though relatively extensive farming systems such as those that exist in much of West Africa, particularly the savannah region, where polygamy aids in the production of sons whose labor is valued." 〔Goody, Jack. ''Polygyny, Economy and the Role of Women. In The Character of Kinship''. London: Cambridge University Press, 1973,p.175-190.〕 Goody's observation regarding African male farming systems is discussed and supported by anthropologists Douglas R. White and Michael L. Burton in "Causes of Polygyny: Ecology, Economy, Kinship, and Warfare" 〔White, Douglas and Burton, Michael. ''Causes of Polygyny: Ecology, Economy, Kinship, and Warfare''. American Anthropologist, Volume 90, Issue 4, pages 871–887, December 1988, p. 884. print.〕 where authors note: "Goody (1973) argues against the female contributions hypothesis. He notes Dorjahn's (1959) comparison of East and West Africa, showing higher female agricultural contributions in East Africa and higher polygyny rates in West Africa, especially in the West African savannah, where one finds especially high male agricultural contributions. Goody says, "The reasons behind polygyny are sexual and reproductive rather than economic and productive" (1973:189), arguing that men marry polygynously to maximize their fertility and to obtain large households containing many young dependent males." 〔White, Douglas and Burton, Michael. ''Causes of Polygyny: Ecology, Economy, Kinship, and Warfare''. American Anthropologist, Volume 90, Issue 4, pages 871–887, December 1988, p.873. print.〕 A report by the secretariat of the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) quotes: "one of the strongest appeals of polygyny to men in Africa is precisely its economic aspect, for a man with several wives commands more land, can produce more food for his household and can achieve a high status due to the wealth which he can command.".〔Boserup Esther. (1970). ''Woman's Role in Economic Development'', London, England & Sterling, VA: Cromwell Press, Trowbridge.〕 According to Esther Boserup, over much of the continent of Africa, tribal rules of land tenure are still in force. This implies that members of a tribe, which commands a certain territory, have a native right to take land under cultivation for food production and in many cases also for the cultivation of cash crops. Under this tenure system, an additional wife is an economic asset that helps the family to expand its production. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Polygyny」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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