Opponents of polygamous relationships say polygamy is harmful to women because it is generally practiced as polygyny rather than polyandry, which undermines women`s rights and creates gender inequality. They also say that it leads women to be in abusive unions. Some groups say it inherently creates jealousy and isolation for women in a polygamous marriage. Another problem is that polygamists marry girls before the age of consent or engage in fraud in order to contract a second or subsequent marriage. Polygamy is permitted in many countries of the world and in some religions. Some countries with large Islamic populations allow polygamy, but require the first wife to consent to her husband having multiple wives. Polygamy is currently illegal in Australia because it necessarily involves the crime of bigamy, which is defined as contracting a marriage with someone when they are already legally married to another. The less common arguments are that there is a tendency for large age differences between husband and wife, often leading to early widowhood. It can also lead women to get involved in abusive relationships. Mormons in the United States also have polygamous marriages.
Proponents of polygamy argue that it creates honesty in relationships and reduces the risk of infidelity. They also say there`s a camaraderie for women that they wouldn`t otherwise have. Polygamy is illegal in Australia because it is considered an archaic concept incompatible with women`s social, emotional and economic well-being. A common denominator between cultures and countries that practice polygamy is that it is practiced as polygyny rather than polyandry. This means that men can have multiple wives, but wives cannot have more than one husband. This is intended to maintain a patriarchal form of gender inequality, as marriages are often arranged in these cultures. Some countries that have banned polygamy may still recognize polygamous marriages from other countries. For example, Sweden recognizes polygamous marriages contracted abroad. Switzerland has banned polygamy, but polygamous marriages contracted in another country are dealt with on a case-by-case basis. Australia recognizes polygamous marriages in other countries only in certain circumstances.
Polygamy is illegal and criminalized in all countries in North and South America, including all 50 U.S. states. However, in February 2020, the Utah House of Representatives and Senate reduced the sentence for consensual polygamy, which was previously classified as a felony, to about one misdemeanor. In Australia, it is illegal to enter into multiple marriages or be married to more than one person at a time. Being married to several people at the same time is called polygamy. To be in a polygamous marriage, you must commit the act of bigamy, which is a criminal offence in Australia. With the exception of Solomon Islands, polygamous marriages are not recognized in Europe and Oceania. In India, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore, governments recognize polygamous marriages, but only for Muslims. In Australia, polygamous marriage is prohibited, but polygamous relationships are common in some Australian indigenous communities. In Indonesia, polygamy is legal in some areas, such as Bali, Papua and West Papua.
Balinese Hinduism allows polygamy, practiced for centuries by the Balinese and Papua. Protests against the ban on polygamy and polygamous marriages took place in Indonesia in 2008, but did not lead to changes to the law. In Ghazel and Anor [2016] FamCAFC 31 (4 March 2016), the plenary (Finn, May & Austin JJ) heard the mother`s appeal against the rejection of her application for a declaration of validity of the parties` Iranian marriage, which was found valid under Section 88D of the Marriage Act 1961 (Cth). The woman (born in England) married her husband in Iran in 1981. Justice Hogan said that the law of this country „allows a husband, under certain conditions, to take up to three additional wives. Polygamy is a situation in which a man has several wives. There have been few cases of bigamy in Australia. The Family Court of Australia ruled in Amarnath & Kandar [2015] FamCA 1138. Until the adoption of the Marriage (Definition and Freedom of Religion) Act in 2017 (Cth), it was defined as the union of a man and a woman, to the exclusion of any other person voluntarily concluded for life. The Relationship Register Act 2010 (NSW) states that you can only be in a common-law relationship with one person at any given time.
It is illegal to register multiple relationships at the same time. If you`ve already registered a relationship, you`ll need to revoke that relationship before you can register a new relationship. This means that polygamous marriages contracted in countries where they are legal will be recognised in Australia. However, this does not mean that a person married to one or more people in one of these countries can come to Australia and contract a second marriage here. Similar laws apply in the United Kingdom and New Zealand. The Attorney General argued that a distinction was made between a polygamous marriage and a potentially polygamous marriage. The Chamber acknowledged that a potentially polygamous marriage under Part VA of the Marriage Act 1961 (Cth) would have been recognised before 2004, when the law did not define marriage. • Must be recognized as valid under the law of the country at the time of closure• Would have been recognized as valid under Australian law if the marriage had taken place in Australia Muslim acceptance of polygamy is illustrated by the fact that polygamy is more common in the Middle East and North/Central Africa, the regions of the world that are home to the highest concentrations of Muslims and are illegal in most other regions. In addition, several countries recognize polygamous marriages between Muslims, but not between practitioners of other religions.
The word „polygamy” is Ancient Greek for „married with many” or „often married” and refers to a situation in which a person has more than one simultaneous marriage. Polygamy in Australia is illegal. Polygamy is legal in many countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East and usually affects more than one woman. Polygamy is also common in some religious groups in other countries, such as Mormons in the United States. Another unusual loophole is that many Muslim countries recognize polygamous marriages as long as the husband, before marrying his first wife, informs her that he intends to add more wives and accepts them.