Editing Polygyny (section)

==By country==
{{Further|Legality of polygamy}}

===Africa===
====Kenya====

Polygynous marriage was preferred among the Logoli and other [[Abalulya]] sub ethnic groups. Taking additional wives was regarded as one of the fundamental indicators of a successfully established man. Large families enhanced the prestige of Logoli men. Logoli men with large families were also capable of obtaining justice, as they would be feared by people, who would not dare to use force to take their livestock or other goods from them. Interviews with some of the contemporary Logoli men and women who recently made polygynous marriages yielded data which suggest that marrying another wife is usually approached with considerable thought and deliberation by the man. It may or may not involve or require the consent of the other wives and prospective wife's parents. A type of "[[surrogate pregnancy]]" arrangement was reported to have been observed, in which some wives who are unable to bear children, find fulfillment in the children and family provided by a husband taking additional wives.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Laban Moogi Gwako|first=Edwins|title=Polygyny among the Logoli of Western Kenya|journal=Anthropos|volume=93|issue=4/6|pages=331–348|quote="... encouraged their husbands to marry other wives so that they may engage themselves and bestow their affection upon the co-wives' children."|jstor=40464835|date=1998}}</ref> Some of the men indicated that they were pressured by their parents to marry another wife, who could contribute additional income to the family. Some of the young polygynous men indicated that they were trapped in polygyny because of the large number of single women who needed and were willing to take them as husbands although they were already married. Most of those second and third wives were older women who had not yet married.<ref name="Gwako, Edwins Laban 1998"/>

====Nigeria====

Customary law, one of the three legal systems in operation in Nigeria (the other two being Nigerian common law and [[Sharia]] law) allows for one man to legally marry more than one woman.

Unlike those marriages recognized by Sharia, there is no limit to the number of legal wives allowed under customary law. Currently polygyny is most common within [[Royal family|royal]] and [[Nobility|noble]] families within the country, and is largely practiced by the tribes native to its north and west. Although far less popular there, it is nonetheless also legal in Nigeria's east and south.

Polygyny varies according to a woman's age, religion and educational experience. Research conducted in the city of Ibadan, the second largest city in Nigeria, shows that non-educated women are significantly more likely (58%) to be in a polygynous union compared to college educated women (4%).<ref name=":4" /> Followers of traditional African religions are expected to have as many wives as they can afford. Muslim men are allowed up to 4 wives and only if they can be provided for and treated equally. Christians are typically (and expected to be) monogamous.<ref name=":4" />

Among the Ngwa group in Eastern Nigeria, studies show that 70% of polygynous marriages consist of illiterate men and women, compared to 53% in monogamous marriages.<ref name=":4" />

==== Malawi ====
While polygynous marriages are not legally recognized under the civil marriage laws of Malawi, customary law affords a generous amount of benefits to polygynous unions, ranging from inheritance rights to child custody.<ref name="sigi">{{Cite news|title=Figures 18 and 2.10. Social institutions and gender index (SIGI)|doi = 10.1787/888933163273}}</ref> It has been estimated that nearly one in five women in Malawi live in polygynous relationships.<ref name="sigi" />

Efforts to abolish the practice and de facto recognition of polygyny have been widely apparent throughout the recent years in Malawi; led mainly by anti-AIDS organizations and feminist groups. An effort led in 2008 to outlaw polygyny in the country was fiercely opposed by Islamic religious leaders, citing the practice as a cultural, religious and pragmatic reality of the nation.<ref>{{Citation|last=Lamloum|first=Olfa|title=Islamonline. Jeux et enjeux d'un média " post-islamiste " déterritorialisé|date=2010|work=Médias et islamisme|pages=45–62|publisher=Presses de l'Ifpo|isbn=978-2-35159-172-7|doi=10.4000/books.ifpo.1369}}</ref>

==== South Africa ====
{{Main|Polygamy in South Africa}}
Polygynous marriages are legal under certain circumstances in South Africa. All polygynous marriages entered into in accordance with the provisions of the [[Recognition of Customary Marriages Act]] are legal. Polygyny in South Africa is practiced among the indigenous Bantu ethnic groups of South Africa, and also within the Muslim community. Although it was widespread in ancient times, it is now only common amongst richer men and men of status, such as chiefs and kings, including the former President of the Republic of South Africa, [[Jacob Zuma]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-04-14|title=What's next for Zuma's wives?|url=https://citizen.co.za/lifestyle/entertainment/2473447/whats-next-for-zumas-wives/|access-date=2021-07-28|website=The Citizen|language=en}}</ref> Polygynous marriages of individuals over the age of 15 accounts for approximately 30,000 (0.1%) people in 2001. Both Islamic law and cultural family laws create a system in which Muslim men are encouraged to take up to four wives. Several factors for this include infertility or long-term illness of the first wife, excessive wealth on the part of the husband enabling him to support widowed or divorced mothers, and the economic benefits of large families.<ref name=":8">{{Cite journal|last=Moosa|first=N|date=2009-09-24|title=Polygynous Muslim Marriages in South Africa: Their Potential Impact on the Incidence of HIV/AIDS|journal=Potchefstroom Electronic Law Journal/Potchefstroomse Elektroniese Regsblad|volume=12|issue=3|doi=10.4314/pelj.v12i3.46271 |doi-access=free|hdl=10394/3641|hdl-access=free}}</ref>

Despite the historical and cultural history of polygyny among Muslim South Africans, polygynous unions are officially illegal on the national level in South Africa. After 1994, various laws such as the freedom of religion in the South African Constitution, the ratification of the UN's Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and a proposed Draft Bill on Muslim Marriages have tackled the issue of Islamic polygynous unions in South Africa.<ref name=":8" />

==== Somalia ====
Polygyny is legal in Somalia and most commonly seen throughout Muslim communities. According to the Muslim tradition, men can have up to four wives. For a man to gain additional wives in Somalia, it must be granted by the court and it has to be proven that the first wife is either imprisoned or infertile.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2007-03/2007-03-12-voa14.cfm|title=Acceptance of Polygamy Slowly Changes in Muslim Africa|date=12 March 2007|work=Voice of America|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090507024715/http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2007-03/2007-03-12-voa14.cfm|access-date=18 November 2019|archive-date=2009-05-07}}</ref>

==== Mozambique ====
{{Further|Polygamy in Mozambique}}
'''[[Mozambique]]''' prohibits legal recognition of [[polygamous unions]], yet there are no legal restrictions against the practice itself, which has been reported to be quite widespread in the coastal country.<ref name=Reuters>{{cite web |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mozambique-widows-polygamy-idUSKCN0ZL0T6 |title=Widows without sons in Mozambique accused of sorcery and robbed of land |last=Mwareya |first=Ray |date=5 July 2016 |website=Reuters |publisher= |access-date=30 December 2016 |quote=Although polygamy is prohibited in Mozambique there is no punishment. Across the country nearly a third of married women are thought to be in polygamous marriages, according to a NORAD survey.}}</ref> As of 2019, it was estimated that about nearly 20% of married women aged 15–49 are in polygynous unions.<ref name="Jansen & Agadjanian 2020">{{cite journal |last1=Jansen |first1=Natalie |last2=Agadjanian |first2=Victor |title=Polygyny and Intimate Partner Violence in Mozambique |journal=Journal of Family Issues |date=March 2020 |volume=41 |issue=3 |pages=338–358 |doi=10.1177/0192513x19876075 |pmid=33518874 |pmc=7845931 }}</ref>

=== Australia ===
Polygyny is not legal in Australia. The Marriage Act of 1961 under section 94 states that any person who knowingly marries another whose marriage is legally ongoing carries out the act of bigamy. The penalty of bigamy is up to five years of imprisonment. The Full Court of the Family Court of Australia ruled on March 6, 2016, that it is illegal to have polygamous marriages. However, foreign marriages that have potential to be polygamous when it was started will be legally recognized in Australia. The court defined a potentially polygamous marriage as if the marriage is not yet polygamous, but if the country where the marriage marginally taken place permits polygamous marriages of either partner to the original marriage at a later date. Indigenous populations of Australia have been noted to engage in polygamous relationships.

===Asia===
{{Cleanup lang|section|date=August 2023}}
{{Further|Islam in Asia}}
Many majority-[[Muslim]] countries retain the traditional [[sharia]], which interprets teachings of the Quran to permit polygamy with up to four wives. Exceptions to this include [[Albania]], [[Tunisia]], [[Turkey]], and former [[USSR]] republics. Though about 70% of the population of Albania is [[Cultural Muslim|historically Muslim]], the majority is non-practicing. Turkey and Tunisia are countries with overwhelmingly Muslim populations that enforce [[Laïcité|secularist practices]] by law. In the former USSR republics, a prohibition against polygamy has been inherited from [[Law of the Soviet Union|Soviet Law]]. In the 21st century, a revival of the practice of polygamy in the [[Muslim World]] has contributed to efforts to re-establish its legality and legitimacy in some countries and communities where it is illegal.

Proposals have been made to re-legalize polygamy in other ex-Soviet Muslim republics, such as [[Kazakhstan]], [[Azerbaijan]] and [[Uzbekistan]].<ref>{{citation |url= http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/GB04Ag01.html |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20050207064554/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/GB04Ag01.html |url-status= unfit |archive-date= February 7, 2005 |last= Saidazimova |first= Gulnoza|title= Polygamy hurts – in the pocket |newspaper= [[Asia Times Online]] |date= February 4, 2005 }}</ref>

The original wife (or legal wife) was referred to as the 正室 zhèngshì /정실 (main room) both in China, Japan and Korea. 大婆 dàpó ("big woman/big wife") is the slang term. Both terms indicate the orthodox nature and hierarchy. The official wife was called "big mother" (大媽 dàmā), mother or aunt. The child of the concubine addressed the big mother as "aunt".

The written word for the second woman was ''側室 cèshì /측실'' and literally means "she who occupied the side room". This word was also used in both Korea and Japan. They were also called 妾 qiè/첩 in China and Korea. The common terms referring to the second woman, and the act of having the second woman respectively, are 二奶 (''èrnǎi''), literally "the second wife".

====India====
[[Polygyny in India|Polygamy in India]] is, in general, prohibited and the vast majority of marriages are legally monogamous. Polygyny among Christians was banned in the late 19th century, while [[The Hindu Marriage Act, 1955]] banned polygyny for Hindus. Currently, polygyny is only allowed among [[Muslims]]; but it is strongly discouraged by public policy.<ref>{{Cite web |date=18 May 2021 |title=Polygamy under Muslim Law |url=https://www.ejusticeindia.com/polygamy-under-muslim-law/ |access-date=24 June 2024}}</ref> Muslims are subject to the terms of ''The Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act of 1937'', interpreted by the [[All India Muslim Personal Law Board]]. Prevalence of polygyny in India is very low: among married women, only 1.68 percent of Hindus, 2.45 percent of Muslims, 2.16 percent of Christians, and 1.16 percent of other religions live in polygynous marriages.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://paa2011.princeton.edu/papers/111406 |title=Bigamy in India: Finding from National Family Health Survey |author=Sayeed Unisa and Grace Bahalen Mundu |website=paa2011.princeton.edu}}</ref>

====China====
{{See also|Concubinage#China}}
In mainland China, polygamy is illegal under the [[Civil Code of the People's Republic of China|Civil Code]] passed in 2020. This codified a similar 1950 and 1980 prohibition.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.lawinfochina.com/display.aspx?lib=law&id=11|title=Marriage Law of the People's Republic of China|website=www.lawinfochina.com}}</ref>

Polygyny where wives are of equal status had always been illegal in China, and had been considered a crime in some dynasties. In family laws from Tang to Qing Dynasties, the status of a wife, concubines and maid-mistresses could not be altered.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.douban.com/note/157772811/|title=毋以妾为妻|work=douban.com|access-date=10 December 2016}}</ref> However, concubinage was supported by law until the end of the [[Qing dynasty|Qing/Ching dynasty]] of the imperial China (1911).{{citation needed|date=May 2012}} In the past, Emperors could and often did have hundreds to thousands of concubines. Rich officials and merchants of the elite also took concubines in addition to legal wives. The first wife was the head or mother wife; other wives were under her headship if the husband was away. Concubines had a lower status than full wives, generally not being seen in public with their husband and not having rights to decisions in the house. Children from concubines were considered inferior to those of the wife and did not receive equal wealth/legacy from their father. However they were considered legitimate, therefore had many more rights to inheritance of status and wealth than illegitimate children conceived outside a marriage.

Polygamy was ''de facto'' widely practiced in the Republic of China from 1911 to 1949, before [[Kuomintang]] was defeated in the Civil War and retreated to Taiwan. [[Zhang Zongchang]], a well-known warlord, notably declared he had three 'unknowns' – unknown number of rifles, unknown amount of money, and unknown number of concubines.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Portwood| first1 = Matthew R.| last2 = Dunn| first2 = John P.| title = A Tale of Two Warlords. Republican China During the 1920s | journal = Asian Studies| volume = 19| issue = 3 | date = 2014 | url = https://www.asianstudies.org/wp-content/uploads/a-tale-of-two-warlords-republican-china-during-the-1920s.pdf }}</ref>

[[Chinese people|Chinese]] men in [[Hong Kong]] could practice concubinage by virtue of the [[Qing Code]]. This ended with the passing of the Marriage Reform Ordinance ({{Cite Hong Kong ordinance|178}}) in 1970. Kevin Murphy of the ''[[International Herald Tribune]]'' reported on the cross-border polygamy phenomenon in Hong Kong in 1995.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iht.com/articles/1995/02/07/lunar.php |title= Hong Kong Targets Its Two-Family Men - International Herald Tribune|website=www.iht.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090210131453/http://www.iht.com/articles/1995/02/07/lunar.php |archive-date=February 10, 2009}}</ref> In a research paper of [[Humboldt University of Berlin]] on sexology, Doctor Man-Lun Ng estimated about 300,000 men in China have mistresses. In 1995, forty percent of extramarital affairs in Hong Kong involved a stable partner.<ref>[http://www2.hu-berlin.de/sexology/IES/hongkong.html "Hong Kong"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061105131143/http://www2.hu-berlin.de/sexology/IES/hongkong.html |date=2006-11-05 }}, ''The International Encyclopedia of Sexuality''</ref>

Period drama and historical novels frequently refer to the former culture of polygamy (usually polygyny). An example is the ''[[Wuxia]]'' novel ''[[The Deer and the Cauldron]]'' by Hong Kong writer [[Jin Yong|Louis Cha]], in which the protagonist [[Wei Xiaobao]] has seven wives (In a later edition of the novel, Princess Jianning was assigned as the wife, while others are concubines).

====Kyrgyzstan====
A proposal to decriminalize polygamy was heard by the Kyrgyz parliament. It was supported by the Justice Minister, the country's ombudsman, and the Muslim Women's organization ''[[Mutakalim]],'' which had gathered 40,000 signatures in favour of polygamy. But, on March 26, 2007, parliament rejected the bill. President [[Kurmanbek Bakiyev]] is known to oppose legalizing polygyny.<ref>[http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2007/3/D46AEFBC-4179-4966-806C-E0D37A9C815C.html "Kyrgyzstan: Debate On Legalized Polygamy Continues"], Radio Liberty, Radio Free Europe</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.rferl.org/a/1075507.html|title=Kyrgyz Lawmakers Reject Decriminalizing Polygamy|work=rferl.org|date=8 April 2008 |access-date=10 December 2016}}</ref>

====Tajikistan====
Due to an increase in the number of polygamous marriages, proposals were made in [[Tajikistan]] to re-legalize polygamy.<ref>[http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/culture/articles/eav102002.shtml "Central Asia: Increase In Polygamy Attributed To Economic Hardship, Return To Tradition"], EurasiaNet.org</ref> Tajik women who want to be second wives particularly support decriminalizing polygyny. Mukhiddin Kabiri, the Deputy Chairman of the [[Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan]], says that legislation is unlikely to stop the growth in polygyny. He criticizes the ruling élite for speaking out against the practice while taking more than one wife themselves.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://iwpr.net/?p=rca&s=f&o=162938&apc_state=henirca2002|title=Institute for War and Peace Reporting|work=iwpr.net|access-date=10 December 2016}}</ref>

==== Yemen ====
Polygyny is legal in Yemen, a majority Muslim nation, which follows Islamic tradition where polygyny is acceptable up to four wives only if the husband treats all wives justly. Seven percent of married women in Yemen are a part of polygamous relationship. Reports conducted in the country have shown that rural regions are more likely to have polygamous relationships than those in cities or coastal areas.<ref>{{cite news |title=Health: Proximate Determinations of Fertility |url=http://www.yementimes.com/99/iss11/health.htm |work=Yemen Times |issue=11: 15–21 March |date=March 1999 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090325093659/http://www.yementimes.com/99/iss11/health.htm |archive-date=25 March 2009 |volume=IX |language=en |id=[Credit attributed by the ''Yemen Times'' — "Adopted and abridged from: YEMEN: Demographic and Maternal and Child Health Survey: 1997, November 1998."]}}</ref>

=== Europe ===

====Bosnia and Herzegovina====
The Muslim communities of [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]] traditionally practiced polygamy but the practice was last observed in [[Cazin|Cazinska Krajina]] in the early 1950s.<ref>[http://www.everyculture.com/multi/A-Br/Bosnian-Americans.html "Bosnian Americans" – History, Modern era, The first Bosnians in America<!-- Bot generated title -->], Every Culture</ref> Although illegal in the country, polygamy is encouraged by certain religious circles, and the number of practitioners has increased. This trend appears linked with the advent of fundamentalist [[Wahhabism]] in the [[Balkans]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.b92.net/eng/insight/opinions.php?nav_id=40280|title=Emissaries of Militant Islam Make Headway in Bosnia|work=B92.net|access-date=10 December 2016}}</ref>

The [[Bosniaks|Bosniak]] population in neighbouring [[Raška, Serbia|Raška]], [[Serbia]], has also been influenced by this trend in Bosnia. They have suggested creating an entire Islamic jurisdiction including polygamy, but these proposals have been rejected by Serbia. The top cleric, the Mufti of [[Novi Pazar]], Muamer Zukorlić, has taken a second wife.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wluml.org/english/newsfulltxt.shtml?cmd%5B157%5D=x-157-546374|title=Bosnia and Herzegovina: The veil comes down, again – Women Reclaiming and Redefining Cultures|work=wluml.org|access-date=10 December 2016|archive-date=29 April 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090429193723/http://www.wluml.org/english/newsfulltxt.shtml?cmd%5B157%5D=x-157-546374}}</ref>

====Russia====
Factual polygamy and sexual relationships with several adult partners are not punishable in accordance with current revisions of [[Criminal Code of Russia]] and [[Code of the Russian Federation on Administrative Offenses]]. But multiple marriage cannot be registered and officially recognised by Russian authorities because [[Family Code of Russia]] (section 14 and others) prohibits registration of marriage if one of person is in another registered marriage in Russia or another country. Polygamy is tolerated in predominantly Muslim republics such as [[Chechnya]], [[Ingushetia]], and [[Dagestan]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article338474.ece |location=London |first=Andrew |last=Osborn |title=War-ravaged Chechnya needs polygamy, says its leader |work=The Independent |date=2006-01-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060117043122/http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article338474.ece |archive-date=2006-01-17 }}</ref>

Chechen politician [[Ramzan Kadyrov]] actively advocated for polygynous marriage to gain legal recognition. Muslim leaders such as [[Talgat Tadzhuddin]]<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.rosbalt.ru/main/2006/01/13/240493.html|title=Верховный муфтий России – за многоженство [Chief Mufti of Russia supports polygamy] (in Russian).|last=Rosbalt|date=13 January 2006|access-date=13 November 2019}}</ref> also pushed for the legal recognition of polygynous marriage.

Polygyny was legalized and documented in unrecognised [[Chechen Republic of Ichkeria]] but Russian authorities had annulled these polygynous marriages after they regained control over territory of Ichkeria. Later Ramzan Kadyrov, President of the [[Chechen Republic]], has been quoted on radio as saying that the depopulation of [[Chechnya]] by war justifies legalizing polygamy.<ref>[http://pilegesh.blogspot.com/2007/02/i-do-i-do-i-do-i-do-economic-case-for.html "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do: The Economic Case for Polygamy"], Pilegesh.org blog</ref> Kadyrov has been supported by Nafigallah Ashirov, the Chairman of the Council of Grand [[Mufti]]s of Russia, who has said that polygamy is already widespread among Muslim communities of the country.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=32064 |title=Inter Press Service – News and Views from the Global South |work=ipsnews.net |access-date=10 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120212142650/http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=32064 |archive-date=12 February 2012 }}</ref>

In Ingushetia in July, 1999 polygyny was officially recognised and allowed by edict of president of Ingushetia [[Ruslan Aushev]] and registration of polygyny marriages had been started allowing men to marry up to four wives as it relates to Muslim tradition. But this edict had been formally suspended soon by edict of [[President of Russia]] [[Boris Yeltsin]]. One year later this edict of Aushev had been cancelled by the Supreme Court of Ingushetia because of contradiction with Family Code of Russia.<ref name="Aushev Lentapedia">{{cite web|url=http://www.lenta.ru/lib/14163106/full.htm |title=Лентапедия. Биография Руслана Аушева |language=ru |access-date=2009-12-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111101021758/http://lenta.ru/lib/14163106/full.htm |archive-date=2011-11-01 }}</ref>

Although non-Muslim Russian populations have historically practiced monogamy, Russian politician [[Vladimir Zhirinovsky]] offered to legalize polygyny to encourage population growth and correct the [[Russia demographics#Demographic crisis|demographic crisis of Russians]]. Zhirinovsky first proposed to legalize polygyny in 1993, after Kadyrov's declaration that he would introduce an amendment to legalize polygyny for all Russian citizens.<ref>[http://www.sptimes.ru/index.php?action_id=2&story_id=14235 Vladimir Zhirinovsky Op-Ed: "When One Wife Is Not Enough"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930202658/http://www.sptimes.ru/index.php?action_id=2&story_id=14235 |date=2007-09-30 }}, ''The St. Petersburg Times''</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4610396.stm | work=BBC News | title=Polygamy proposal for Chechen men | date=2006-01-13}}</ref>

====Serbia====
Serbian Law, which in turn is based on the French Civil Code, permits individuals to only be married monogamously. However, the jurisdiction of the civil law exclusively oversees the marriages conducted in civilian ceremonies, and not those conducted in the religious ones. Given that the law does not require couples to register a religious marriage in the registry of civil marriages (whilst in the neighbouring Bosnia, failing to do so can result in a fine), individuals seeking to practice polygamy are not restricted to do so. One of the best known examples was the chief Mufti of the Islamic Community in Serbia, Dr. Muamer Zukorlic, who was simultaneously married to three women.

====United Kingdom====
In the UK, there are believed to be up to 20,000 polygamous marriages in Britain's Muslim community,<ref>http://www.channel4.com/info/press/news/channel-4-documentary-gains-access-to-the-men-with-many-wives "The Men with many wives" by Channel 4</ref> even though bigamy is an offence.<ref>http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Vict/24-25/100/crossheading/bigamy/enacted Offences Against the Person Act 1861</ref> All marriages that happen within the United Kingdom must be monogamous and meet the requirements of the relevant legislation to be perceived as legitimately substantial. For polygamous unions in the UK to be viewed as valid, the people must live in a country where a person is allowed to have more than one spouse and get married in a nation that permits it. There is evidence of unregistered polygamous marriages in the UK, performed through religious ceremonies, that are not recognized under UK law.<ref name=":9">{{Citation|last1=Fairbairn|first1=Catherine|last2=Kennedy|first2=Steven|last3=Gower|first3=Melanie|date=1 February 2023|title=Research Briefing: Polygamy|url=https://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/SN05051|publisher=House of Commons Library; United Kingdom Parliament}}</ref>

===The Americas===
====Chile====
{{Further|Mapuche polygamy}}
Polygyny has a long history among the [[Mapuche]] people of southern [[South America]]. Wives that share the same husband are often relatives, such as sisters, who live in the same community.<ref name=lainfo2013/> Having the same husband does not imply women belong to the same household.<ref name=lainfo2013/> Mapuche polygamy has no legal recognition in [[Chile]].<ref name=lainfo2013>{{Cite news|title=La poligamia pervive en las comunidades indígenas del sur de Chile|url=https://www.lainformacion.com/asuntos-sociales/la-poligamia-pervive-en-las-comunidades-indigenas-del-sur-de-chile_iIqbAIrxZAT9vQNPaqApd1/|last=Rausell|first=Fuencis|date=June 1, 2013|access-date=January 20, 2021|work=La Información|language=Spanish}}</ref> This puts women who are not legally married to their husband at disadvantage to any legal wife in terms of securing inheritance.<ref name=lainfo2013/> It is thought that present-day polygamy is much less common than it once was, in particularly compared with the time before the [[Occupation of Araucanía]] (1861–1883) when [[Araucanía (historic region)|Araucanía]] lost its autonomy.<ref name=lainfo2013/> Albeit chiefly rural, Mapuche polygamy has also been reported in the low-income peripheral communes of [[Santiago]].<ref name=Millaleo2018-133>{{Cite thesis|title=Poligamia mapuche / Pu domo ñi Duam (un asunto de mujeres): Politización y despolitización de una práctica en relación a la posición de las mujeres al interior de la sociedad mapuche|last=Millaleo Hernández|first=Ana Gabriel|degree=PhD|date=2018|publisher=[[University of Chile]]|url=http://repositorio.conicyt.cl/bitstream/handle/10533/220808/TesisDocAnaMillaleoCONICYT.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y|place=Santiago de Chile|language=Spanish|page=133}}</ref>

====North America====
[[File:Ira_Eldredge_and_his_three_wives_circa_1864_(restored).png|thumb|Polygyny among 19th century Mormons: Portrait of Ira Eldredge with his three wives: Nancy Black Eldredge, Hannah Mariah Savage Eldredge, and Helvig Marie Andersen Eldredge.]]
{{Further|Latter Day Saint polygamy in the late-19th century}}
Polygyny is illegal in the United States and Canada.

[[Mormon fundamentalism]] believes in the validity of selected [[fundamentalism|fundamental]] aspects of [[Mormonism]] as taught and practiced in the nineteenth century. Fundamentalist Latter-Day Saints' teachings include [[plural marriage]], a form of polygyny first taught by [[Joseph Smith]], the founder of the [[Latter Day Saint movement]].

In the 21st century, several sources have claimed as many as 60,000 fundamentalist Latter-day Saints in the United States,<ref>Martha Sonntag Bradley, "Polygamy-Practicing Mormons" in [[J. Gordon Melton]] and Martin Baumann (eds.) (2002). ''Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia'' '''3''':1023–1024.</ref><ref>''[[Dateline NBC]]'', 2001-01-02.</ref> with fewer than half of them living in polygamous households.<ref>Ken Driggs, "Twentieth-Century Polygamy and Fundamentalist Mormons in Southern Utah", ''[[Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought]]'', Winter 1991, pp. 46–47.</ref> Others have suggested that there may be as few as 20,000 Mormon fundamentalists<ref>Irwin Altman, "Polygamous Family Life: The Case of Contemporary Mormon Fundamentalists", ''Utah Law Review'' (1996) p. 369.</ref><ref name=DMQ>D. Michael Quinn, [http://content.lib.utah.edu/u?/dialogue,10141 "Plural Marriage and Mormon Fundamentalism"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110613232550/http://content.lib.utah.edu/u/?%2Fdialogue%2C10141 |date=2011-06-13 }}, ''[[Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought]]'' 31(2) (Summer 1998): 1–68, accessed 27 March 2009.</ref> with only 8,000 to 15,000 practicing polygamy.<ref>Stephen Eliot Smith, "'The Mormon Question' Revisited: Anti-Polygamy Laws and the Free Exercise Clause", LL.M. thesis, [[Harvard Law School]], 2005.</ref> The largest Mormon fundamentalist groups are the [[Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints]] (FLDS Church) and the [[Apostolic United Brethren]] (AUB). The FLDS Church is estimated to have 10,000 members residing in the sister cities of [[Hildale, Utah|Hildale]], Utah and [[Colorado City, Arizona|Colorado City]], Arizona; [[Eldorado, Texas|Eldorado]], Texas; [[Westcliffe, Colorado|Westcliffe]], Colorado; [[Mancos, Colorado|Mancos]], Colorado; [[Creston, British Columbia|Creston]] and [[Bountiful, British Columbia|Bountiful]], British Columbia; [[Pringle, South Dakota|Pringle]], South Dakota, and Montana.<ref>[http://attorneygeneral.utah.gov/polygamy/The_Primer.pdf "The Primer"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050111224555/http://attorneygeneral.utah.gov/polygamy/The_Primer.pdf |date=2005-01-11 }} – Helping Victims of Domestic Violence and Child Abuse in Polygamous Communities. A joint report from the offices of the Attorneys General of Arizona and Utah.</ref>

In July 2022, a Mexican judge in the state of [[Puebla]]'s Eighth District Civil Court authorized the country's first threesome group marriage.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Carey |first1=Lydia |title=Judge gives go-ahead on Mexico's first polyamorous marriage |url=https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/mexico-first-polyamorous-marriage/ |website=Mexico News Daily |access-date=11 September 2022 |date=22 July 2022}}</ref>