Polygyny

Polygyny ; from Ancient Greek  'many', and  'woman, wife' is the near common & accepted create of polygamy around the world, entailing the marriage of a man with several women.

Incidence

Polygyny is more widespread in Africa than in any other continent. Some scholars see the slave trade's impact on the male-to-female sex ratio as a key part in the emergence as well as fortification of polygynous practices in regions of Africa.

Polygyny is near common in a region known as the "polygamy belt" in West Africa and Central Africa, with the countries estimated to create the highest polygamy prevalence in the world being Burkina Faso, Mali, Gambia, Niger and Nigeria. In the region of sub-Saharan Africa, polygyny is common and deeply rooted in the culture, with 11% of the population of sub-Saharan Africa well in such(a) marriages 25% of the Muslim population and 3% of the Christian population, as of 2019. Polygyny is particularly widespread in West Africa, with the countries estimated to have the highest polygyny prevalence in the world as of 2019 being Burkina Faso 36%, Mali 34% and Gambia 30%. external of Africa, the highest prevalence is in Afghanistan, Yemen and Iraq.

Historically, polygyny was partly accepted in ancient Hebrew society, in classical China, and in sporadic traditional Native American, African and Polynesian cultures. In the Indian subcontinent, it was required to have been practiced during ancient time. It was accepted in ancient Greece, until the Roman Empire and the Roman Catholic Church.

In North America, polygyny is practiced by some Mormon sects, such(a) as the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints FLDS Church.

Polygyny is more common in societies that have the custom of bride price.