It's Bountilful Subculture, Not Polygamy

Articles like this one indicate to me that the problems critics see in places like Bountiful have to do with the whole subculture there, not polygamy as a whole, not even polygyny.

Women of marriage age are a rare and highly desirable commodity and should have "increased market value" in economics speak. In practice, they should have their pick of marriage partners.

But they don't.

Over her years of study, Grossbard has found that far from women having increased value, invariably the male leaders in polygamous societies have institutionalized women into subservience.

It appears that is because everyone agrees to let a person they believe to be a prophet tell them who to marry and how to behave. Does anyone think that if this freedom to marry was granted nationwide in Canada, that all polygamy would look like the polygyny in Bountiful?

Polygamous societies have a higher frequency of arranged marriages. It's not surprising, says Grossbard. Young women aren't likely to choose old men for husbands, plus men find young wives easier to control.

Of course, that increases the likelihood of early widowhood and financial hardship.

The way these people describe life for the wives, you'd think they'd be happy with being widows.

Divorce tends to be easier in polygamous societies. The threat of it keeps women in line and it allows men to shed wives who are too old or noncompliant.

See? It the problem isn't really polygyny. It is being a woman. Being a married woman is horrible. Being an unmarried woman is horrible, too, according to these critics. So how could the freedom to marry be the problem, especially since they don't legally have it? Does anyone really believe these women who are socially wives and their children are better off not having legal recognition?

In some African societies, she notes that female circumcision is prominent and used as a tool to curb women's sex drive and ease the pressure on the husband to satisfy all of his wives.

What does this have to do with whether or not people in Canada will have more freedom to marry?

Once again, the solution is to attack the actual crimes, not prevent consenting adults from having the freedom to marry.