Polygamy has been around for as long as we know. Its origins cannot be traced to a specific moment in time, but it is proven in the Bible that polygamy was practiced by the ancient Jews. A study conducted by anthropologist Berkowitz concluded that 83% of human societies allow polygamy. And throughout this time, polygamy has undergone multiple changes and different branches of polygamy, such as polygyny and polyandry. But polygamy, in its essence, is a problem that, while it may not affect people living in the Western Hemisphere, is a serious and growing problem for people in the East. Polygamy, a tradition practiced since the dawn of human history, has been a growing problem for modern society. As a society today, polygamy introduces problems such as suffering women's mental health, financial problems, and problems with raising children. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Throughout history, women, for the most part, have been undermined and disrespected. While the treatment of women has increased tremendously in the West, the East is still grappling with this issue. The treatment of women, while not good, worsens in situations of polygamous marriages. In Syria, polygamy is an entrenched social norm. In Damascus, the capital of Syria, polygamous marriages account for 30% of marriages. In 2013, Alean Al-Krenawi conducted a study on Syrian wives in polygamous marriages. “The study aimed to determine the psychological level, self-esteem, family function, marital satisfaction, life satisfaction and degree of agreement among polygamous women.” To determine this, Alean Al-Krenawi used the following research techniques: the Symptom Checklist-90, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem, the Satisfaction with Life Scale, the McMaster Model of Family Function, and the Marital Satisfaction Scale Enrich. The control group was a set of monogamous Syrian wives. The results of Alean Al-Krenawi's study concluded that women in polygamous marriages suffered from lower self-esteem, lower marital satisfaction, lower life satisfaction, and more mental health symptoms. First wives in polygamous marriages also tended to have more problems in each category than second or third wives or monogamous wives. And overall, 76.6% of women in polygamous marriages disagree with polygamous marriages, compared to 23.4% of women in polygamous marriages who disagree with polygamy. A big problem that has arisen with polygamy is finances. Many researchers claim that polygamy is practiced for economic purposes. In Cameroon, polygamy is both an economic improvement and a problem. “Women and children are seen primarily as producers in Cameroon (Thobejane and Flora 1059).” Wives are seen to give birth to children, cultivate and tend gardens to sell. Unfairly, the husband retains all rights to the garden's income, irritating the spouses. Wives, trying to secure money for themselves, encourage their husbands to marry other women, escape their husband's control, get an income from the garden, and do other things, such as get a job. This is a common theme in Cameroon. It is a circle of birth and forced labor. It is a problem that has been growing in Cameroon for a long time. The economic problems of polygamy can affect anyone and everyone, including high-ranking people such as presidents. In 2012, the then current South African president, Jacob Zuma, married his sixth wife. With five other wives he had 20 more children. Former president Jacob Zuma was
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