Question

Polyandry: When Brothers Take a Wife
MELVYN C. GOLDSTEIN
Summary In this article, Goldstein discusses the functions of a rare custom, fraternal polyandry. Along with monogamy, it is one of the most common forms of marriage in Tibetan society. Among the Tibetans of northern Nepal, it is common for a woman to marry two or more men who are brothers. This arrangement is generally made with the consent of the woman's parents. The oldest brother typically manages the household, with all of the brothers dividing the work equally and participating as sexual partners with the wife. Although brothers in such an arrangement can quarrel with each other and occasionally argue over sexual rights to the shared spouse, many men and women prefer the arrangement.
All of the children of the marriage are treated equally by all of the brothers, and no attempt is made to keep track of biological linkage. All of the children treat all the brothers equally, in some regions referring to them as "elder" or "younger." Divorce is possible; an unhappy brother can simply leave the main house and set up his own household. Any children remain in the main household, even if the departing brother is the real father.
Two theories have previously been advanced by anthropologists to explain polyandry. One argues that the custom results from a shortage of women due to female infanticide. The other is that polyandry correlates with a shortage of arable land. The claim is that with polyandrous marriage, land can be held in the same male line without subdivision. Goldstein challenges both explanations. There is not, he argues, a high rate of female infanticide among Tibetans, and many Tibetan women live out their lives unmarried, yet bear children. If scarce land were the problem, one would expect poor families with little land to practice polyandry, but it is wealthy farmers who prefer the custom. Polyandry does serve to reduce the birth rate, but Tibetans do not recognize this latent function. Instead, for the wealthier Tibetans who practice it, polyandry is desirable because it permits them to keep land holdings together and continue to live a more prosperous life.
By entering into a polyandrous marriage with his brothers, a Tibetan man has access to family land, animals, and any other inheritances. He shares any work burden with his brothers, and thus is afforded greater security. He may not have as much personal freedom as he would in a monogamous marriage, but what he loses in freedom he gains in the economic security, affluence, and prestige that comes with a larger, asset-holding, polyandrous family.
According to Goldstein's "Polyandry: When Brothers Take a Wife," Tibetan polyandry is a response to a shortage of arable land.

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