The difference between mating for life in our species and in others is that, in ours, it is not instinctual. As you mention, different contexts can produce different norms, and, in addition, humans are capable of rebelling against norms.
Marriage patterns have something to do with demographics, but they also have something to do with the position of women, the concept of the marital bond, concepts of child rearing,and the way in which families interact. For example, in Saudi Arabia, among those young people educated in the West, polygamy is falling out of favor. It is held to demean women; people are more interested in romantic love and companionate marriage; there is a greater interest in limiting family size and having closer families, and so on. |
