POLYGAMY

CONSENQUENCES AND SACRIFICES

Hello ladies and gentlemen.

My name is Vella, and I’m a medical student from Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta

University.

Imagine this. What is on your mind when we talk about ‘main family’? Main family is
a family bond which is consist of several persons based on legal marriage. Married
man and woman play role as parents with or without child/children. Usually, these
father and mother roles are just composed by one man and one woman. However, this
world is unique. So do people. Unusual but still exist, there are several family that
have greater members. Yet, the role is still same: mother, father, and siblings. What
make them different is: they have more than one person who is the “father” or
“mother”. This different phenomenon is called polygamy.

Polygamy means a state of marriage to many spouses. When a man is married to more
than one wife at a time, it is called polygyny. When a woman is married to more than
one husband at a time, it is called polyandry. In Indonesia, people used “polygamy” to
describe a man who married several women. Public figures such as Aa Gym, Rhoma
Irama, and Kiwil are the examples of people who do polygamy. Although the family
looks fine, do they really look like that? In fact, this kind of marriage having some
bad impacts for their body and soul.

Ladies and gentlemen.

The first point must be underlined is that polygamy increases the transmission of STI
(Sexually Transmitted Infection). We have to remember several disease (gonorrhea,
syphilis, etc.) are contagious to the others by sex. Once the husband get this STI, it has
a very huge possibility that the wifess get the same disease. A study in Ghana said,
“Polygamy in Ghana which is accepted in this country could be cited as one of the

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/negative-consequences-polygamy-zainab-al-hammadi
major causes of sexually transmitted diseases. The high rate of HIV cases could be
attributed to polygamous marriages in the country”. This study is enough to tell us
that Polygamy has a role in spreading sexual diseases. Therefore, polygamy is bad for
our physical health.

The second point that can’t be forgotten is the mental condition of the family.
Polygamy is really risky for their mental health. Quarrels, neglects, and stress have
higher opportunity for those who has this kind of marriage than the monogamy (man
who married one woman). In Africa, the scientists observed experiences of some of
the women in polygynous unions tend to be characterized by frequent jealousy,
conflicts, competition, tensions, and psychological stresses. Some of the husbands fail
to share love and other resources equally; and envy and hatred, and sometimes violent
physical confrontations become the order of the day among co-wifess and their
children. Research shows that competition and conflict can intensify to unbearable
level for co- wifess causing women to commit suicide due to psychological distress.
By those statement, we can say that those wifess have serious mental health problems.
And those mental disorders come from their unhappy marriage or in other word:
polygamy. That’s why, polygamy is also increasing the risk of being depressed.

The last point that also should be mentioned is polygamy creates uncertainty for their
children’ future. It’s confirmed that family has a huge role in their son and daughter’s
growth, both physical and mental. This growth will affect for their future. In
accordance with Jordanian study, several polygamy family shows rate of drop in
school among children, escalated addiction of alcohol, juvenile delinquency as well as
causing to low self-esteem. It means that their future is threatened. If they continue
their broken lifestyle (addicted in alcohol, drugs, deliquency, or even avoid school),
what will they be? Or should we say, will they survive? Besides, from Hamdan and
Apter (Social Observer in Middle East), they stated that polygamy family has bad
nutrition and low interest and care with children. Moreover, their kids think that
family conflict is considered as their usual phenomenons. Can you imagine how awful
when a little kid with their pure heart has grown in those situation? Of course it will
affect in their adulthood life. Or even the worst, they continue those bad family
condition in their own family. Therefore, we can say that polygamy family endanger
their children’s future.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/negative-consequences-polygamy-zainab-al-hammadi
Ladies and gentlemen,

For the conclusion, polygamy in Indonesian is a man who has more than one wife. It
has some cruel effects for the people who do this kind of marriage. Sometimes men
use “religion reasons” for doing polygamy. It may be heaven for those men, but it also
can be a nightmare for the others. Therefore, we must reconsider this matter again if
people start to think that polygamy is the best solution.

Thankyou.

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