Unhitched a South African Slant Term Paper

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As a case in point, the chapter begins with the case of U.S. Congressman Vito Fossella, who would not visit family when his gay sister was present, but who secretly had a relationship and child with a woman other than his wife. According to the author (p. 123), "Vito and Victoria Fossella represent two of the decidedly unwitting bedfellows who jostle uncomfortably beneath the patchwork quilt of contemporary family forms and values."

Interestingly, the chapter points out that polygamy has historically been much more prevalent than monogamy, which was historically practiced by less than one quarter of the world's population. Again investigating the situation in South Africa, where polygamy is legalized, the author shows that there are several manifestations of this phenomenon. Some men, for example, do not bother to register polygamous marriages, since they started with a civil marriage, which precludes a legal change to polygamy.

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Although not legally married, they openly practice this. Other men engage in long-term extra-marital affairs, some of which are so culturally acceptable that mistresses are introduced to wives, and husbands divide their time among their different sets of families.

One interesting point the chapter makes is that polygamy in modern societies are on the decline simply for economic reasons, where few can afford more than one wife and family, especially if the wives are not wage earners. The rest of the chapter considers various forms of polygamous marriages in South Africa, all of which are apparently consensual among the husband and wives, although some jealousy issues arise from time to time. The chapter indicates that this type of marriage is likely to gradually vanish as South Africa's economy modernizes.

Stacey, J. (2011). Unhitched: Love, Marriage, and Family Values from West Hollywood to Western….....

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