Monogamy Among Humans
Over the course of human history, we have adapted and evolved from the character traits our ancestors possessed, and have grown many new ways of living. A product of our evolution is the monogamous relationship. When addressing to monogamy among humans, the two main aspects are:
1. the principle of marrying only once in a lifetime, opposed to digamy (remarriage after first divorce or death of spouse).
2. the marriage of only one person at a time, opposed to bigamy (marrying one person while being married to another) and polygmy (having more than one spouse at a time).
Since monogamy limits the spread of genes, sexual dimorphism (phenotypic difference between male and female sexes of the same species) has a lower chance of occuring. Three main reasons for practicing monogamy are, paternal care, resource access, and mate-choice.
Parental care: It is believed that it is crucial to have a single couple relationship for "the well-being of the children" as it shows commitment and connection with the child.
Resource access: The saying "you shouldn't bite off more than you can chew" applies to this reason best. In cultures which practice other types of relationships such as polygamy, the man or woman with multiple spouses must be able to care for the entire family, or they are unsuitable. In cases where resources are limited, people choose a single trusted spouse and stick to a monogamous relationship in order to ensure resource access.
Mate-choice: The factor of having "the perfect one" for yourself applies to this reason. When someone believes that they have found the one that they can truly spend the rest of their lives with, they go through a monogamous marriage. These types of relationships tend to show high amounts of loyalty and commitment.
Although it may seem "natural" to people of first world countries to engage in a monogamous relationships contrary to the alternatives, monogamy is just another way of living we produced in order to survive. It is a relationship used for order and investment, as well as the listed reasons above, and should not be treated any different than the other kinds of relationships. In the end it is just another form of adaptation.
By: Kennedy Le
1. the principle of marrying only once in a lifetime, opposed to digamy (remarriage after first divorce or death of spouse).
2. the marriage of only one person at a time, opposed to bigamy (marrying one person while being married to another) and polygmy (having more than one spouse at a time).
Since monogamy limits the spread of genes, sexual dimorphism (phenotypic difference between male and female sexes of the same species) has a lower chance of occuring. Three main reasons for practicing monogamy are, paternal care, resource access, and mate-choice.
Parental care: It is believed that it is crucial to have a single couple relationship for "the well-being of the children" as it shows commitment and connection with the child.
Resource access: The saying "you shouldn't bite off more than you can chew" applies to this reason best. In cultures which practice other types of relationships such as polygamy, the man or woman with multiple spouses must be able to care for the entire family, or they are unsuitable. In cases where resources are limited, people choose a single trusted spouse and stick to a monogamous relationship in order to ensure resource access.
Mate-choice: The factor of having "the perfect one" for yourself applies to this reason. When someone believes that they have found the one that they can truly spend the rest of their lives with, they go through a monogamous marriage. These types of relationships tend to show high amounts of loyalty and commitment.
Although it may seem "natural" to people of first world countries to engage in a monogamous relationships contrary to the alternatives, monogamy is just another way of living we produced in order to survive. It is a relationship used for order and investment, as well as the listed reasons above, and should not be treated any different than the other kinds of relationships. In the end it is just another form of adaptation.
By: Kennedy Le