This topic is reminding me of Biblical marriages, specifically in the Old Testament.
Currently today, polygyny (one man married to more than one woman) is still legal in some parts of the world. It's been illegal in the US only since the mid 1800s when the Mormons practiced it. It led to such problems for women though, that the US outlawed it. Bigamy (trigamy? haha) is a crime.
In the Bible, Solomon, the most famously powerful king, was lauded for his wealth, which is legendary (and untrue, it was highly exaggerated). It was written that he was able to afford dozens of wives and hundreds of concubines. He married princesses of kings he wished to form alliances with. He took others out of love or lust. He was even provided with a brand new teenage concubine to keep his bed warm as he lay dying. The feelings of that teenager were not recorded.
A concubine is a woman owned by a man as property. Wives were owned by men, their husbands or fathers, even in the US until not all that long ago. Concubines had less power and privileges than wives.
In another story, which I don't remember as well, a man had 2 wives. He had a name, which I forget. The wives had Hebrew names, and my Bible's footnotes explained the names meant "First" and "Second." These wives were both held legally but they had many of the same problems that 2 illegal wives in polyamory might have. Issues around power and status.
The first wife has "I was here first" status. The second wife has "I may be second but I am (maybe) younger and hotter, and our husband has NRE for me" power.
And then of course, once they both had kids, there was wrangling about the status of their children.
In any polygynous marriage, if a wife was unpleasing, the man could legally say, "I divorce you" and she, and maybe her children were cast out, with resultant non-existent status. It was generally a death sentence, as she was considered unmarriageable, and would have to get a job, probably an extremely low paying one. It was also likely she'd starve and die along with her children.
Anyway, we all know our country is highly influenced by biblical principles. Most US Americans claim to be Christian. Even if they haven't much of a clue of what's in the Bible. There's a reason bigamy is a crime. But modern polyamory is based on feminism and women's rights and power. Not on men's archaic fantasy of fucking and financially supporting more than one woman.
If 2 women choose to be in a relationship with the same man, their rights and privileges will need to be precisely spelled out, especially of one is legally married to the man and the other is not.
Currently today, polygyny (one man married to more than one woman) is still legal in some parts of the world. It's been illegal in the US only since the mid 1800s when the Mormons practiced it. It led to such problems for women though, that the US outlawed it. Bigamy (trigamy? haha) is a crime.
In the Bible, Solomon, the most famously powerful king, was lauded for his wealth, which is legendary (and untrue, it was highly exaggerated). It was written that he was able to afford dozens of wives and hundreds of concubines. He married princesses of kings he wished to form alliances with. He took others out of love or lust. He was even provided with a brand new teenage concubine to keep his bed warm as he lay dying. The feelings of that teenager were not recorded.
A concubine is a woman owned by a man as property. Wives were owned by men, their husbands or fathers, even in the US until not all that long ago. Concubines had less power and privileges than wives.
In another story, which I don't remember as well, a man had 2 wives. He had a name, which I forget. The wives had Hebrew names, and my Bible's footnotes explained the names meant "First" and "Second." These wives were both held legally but they had many of the same problems that 2 illegal wives in polyamory might have. Issues around power and status.
The first wife has "I was here first" status. The second wife has "I may be second but I am (maybe) younger and hotter, and our husband has NRE for me" power.
And then of course, once they both had kids, there was wrangling about the status of their children.
In any polygynous marriage, if a wife was unpleasing, the man could legally say, "I divorce you" and she, and maybe her children were cast out, with resultant non-existent status. It was generally a death sentence, as she was considered unmarriageable, and would have to get a job, probably an extremely low paying one. It was also likely she'd starve and die along with her children.
Anyway, we all know our country is highly influenced by biblical principles. Most US Americans claim to be Christian. Even if they haven't much of a clue of what's in the Bible. There's a reason bigamy is a crime. But modern polyamory is based on feminism and women's rights and power. Not on men's archaic fantasy of fucking and financially supporting more than one woman.
If 2 women choose to be in a relationship with the same man, their rights and privileges will need to be precisely spelled out, especially of one is legally married to the man and the other is not.