Why might brothers share a wife in fraternal polyandry?
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Marriage
A Hindu couple being blessed by a priest during their wedding ceremony, Bali, Indonesia.
Fraternal polyandry, also known as adelphic polyandry, is a form of marriage in which a woman is married to two or more men who are brothers.1
This practice is generally understood as a response to specific localized conditions rather than a universal social rule. Societies that accept polyandry often rely on hunting and gathering or agriculturalism, and the practice is frequently linked to variables such as:
- Economic basis of the group1
- Social stratification1
- Sex (gender) ratios1
- Adult male mortality and male absenteeism1
In these contexts, fraternal polyandry may serve as a strategy to manage resources and household stability within the constraints of the environment. While the practice is rare, it has been notably documented in regions such as the Plateau of Tibet and the Marquesas Islands, as well as in various other nonclassical societies worldwide.1