A mating system where one female mates with multiple males during a breeding season. This is less common than polygyny and often occurs when males provide extensive parental care.
From Greek 'poly-' meaning many and 'andros' meaning male or man. The term emphasizes the multiple male partners of a single female, representing the reverse of the more common polygynous systems.
In polyandrous spotted sandpipers, females are larger and more colorful than males, and they compete aggressively for territory while males incubate eggs and care for chicks! Some polyandrous females can produce up to four clutches per season with different males.
Polyandry discourse historically centered women's reproductive capacity and property rights rather than consent or agency. Western scholarship often framed it as exotic or deviant, reflecting colonial biases toward non-monogamous arrangements found in particular cultures.
Use descriptively when discussing marriage systems; avoid moralistic framing. Center women's agency and economic motivations when discussing historical or contemporary polyandrous arrangements.
Women in polyandrous systems often controlled property, inheritance, and family structure. Anthropological work by women scholars has reclaimed polyandry as a legitimate kinship strategy rather than a curiosity.
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