One Man Multiple Wives: Is Polygyny and Polygamy Good?

Men with multiple kids by multiple women—like Elon Musk and Andrew Tate—seem to be having a cultural moment. Is this just spectacle, or are we entering a new era of reproductive inequality? Society should favour the tried-and-true norm of monogamous marriage, which is the most fecund arrangement, most likely to produce children in the kind and quantity we need, argues demographer Lyman Stone. Read his essay here: https://quillette.com/2025/04/01/the-... 00:00 — Emerging polygyny is being discussed in certain online communities, raising questions about the future of monogamy. 01:12 — Humans have a historical tendency towards monogamy, supported by evidence from various disciplines. 03:56 — Polygyny is viewed as a historical anomaly, not a long-term trend in human mating systems. 04:50 — Polygyny is inefficient for human parenting, which requires significant investment and cooperation. 06:12 — Historically, monogamous societies have outlasted polygynous ones due to internal stability and demographic advantages. 09:12 — Monogamous relationships tend to produce higher fertility rates and are more sustainable over generations. 10:06 — Monogamy is critical for demographic sustainability, fostering stable family structures that benefit society as a whole. --- Quillette is an Australian-based online magazine that focuses on long-form analysis and cultural commentary. It is politically non-partisan, but relies on reason, science, and humanism as its guiding values. Quillette was founded in 2015 by Australian writer Claire Lehmann. It is a platform for free thought and a space for open discussion and debate on a wide range of topics, including politics, culture, science, and technology. Quillette has gained attention for publishing articles and essays that challenge modern orthodoxy on a variety of topics, including gender and sexuality, race and identity politics, and free speech and censorship. --- Quillette's revenue comes from our readers. We are a grassroots organisation that relies on voluntary subscriptions and community membership as our primary revenue stream. Support Quillette by becoming a subscriber: https://quillette.com/#/portal/signup Or donate send us a one-off tip: https://quillette.com/#/portal/support We made our website using Ghost, a powerful app for new-media creators to publish, share, and grow a business around their content. It comes with modern tools to build a website, publish content, send newsletters & offer paid subscriptions to members. Try it here: https://ghost.org/?via=claire91