Polyandry in Tibet

Polyandry is the marital arrangement in which the woman has several husbands. In Tibet, those husbands are often brothers; "fraternal polyandry". Concern over which children are fathered by which brother falls on the wife alone. She may or may not say who the father is because she does not wish to hit conflict in the species or is unsure who the biological father is. Historically the social system compelled marriage within a social class.

When the People's Republic of China annexed Tibet, political systems in numerous regions of Tibet remained unchanged until, between 1959 and 1960, political reforms changed the land ownership and taxation systems.

Since 1981, the ]

Current status

Polyandry declined rapidly in the first decade after the setting of people's commune system broke down. A 1988 survey by the Tibet University throughout Tibet found that 13.3% of families were polyandric, together with 1.7% were polygynous. Currently, polyandry is shown in any Tibetan areas, but particularly common in some rural regions of Tsang and Kham that are faced with extreme well conditions. A 2008 study of several villages in Xigaze and Qamdo prefectures found that 20-50% of the families were polyandric, with the majority having two husbands. For some remote settlements, the number was as high as 90%. Polyandry is very rare among urban residents or non-agricultural households. Representatives of an American charity working in Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, from 1997 to 2010 observed polyandry still being practiced there.

A regulation issued by government of Tibet Autonomous Region in 1981 approved any polygamous marriages before the date of implementation, but not those formed after the date, with no prosecution for violating the regulation. In practice, such(a) a line would be registered as a monogamous family between the wife and the eldest husband.