Polygamy

Re: Polygamy

No.

One family friends of ours was married to a woman who he had never met. He is PhD who studied & lived in England for quiet some time, teaches at a top Paki university and has a very socially liberal lifestyle. She is matric-pass and the first time she ever lived in the city was when she married him. On top of that after a few years they found out that she cannot have children. Well, he could have easily divorced her and married someone else, a practice more socially acceptable in serially monogamous cultures, but that would mean she has to go back to village where no one will marry her and will be on her fathers income and afterwards will have to rely on her brothers & sisters and die a very lonely life. Instead he went into a polygamous arrangement where he married someone a little more inclined to his concept of life and had children. The two wives live in a duplex and the children call the first wife 'bari ammi' and respect her like an elder. She takes interest in their lives as well.

The other example is that of the person who used to take care of the garden in front of our apartments. He went home to attend the funeral of his elder brother who had died in an accident and then extended his leave for another few months. We later found out that he married his widowed sister-in-law who was at least 10-15 years older than him. Trust me, he didn't do it for money or sex.

Mostly rich in Pakistan marry for stereotypes associated with polygamy in western culture.