Study Finds that 33% of Men Are Open to Having Multiple Partners

Research conducted at Swansea University has disclosed that in the UK, 33% of men and 11% of women have an interest in polygamous relationships. This interest in polygamy, specifically polygyny and polyandry, shows a significant gender difference. However, these numerical values only represent a small portion of the UK population, which primarily follows the concept of monogamy. Credit: SciTechDaily.com

According to this recent Swansea University research, nearly one-third of the male population in the UK tend to have an interest in being engaged with multiple wives or long-term partners. On the other hand, openness towards polygamous relationships was only expressed by 11% of the female participants, provided such relationships are legal and consensual.

During this research, 393 heterosexual men and women in the UK were questioned on their perception of a committed monogamy in which they would share their partner or be shared.

This study questioned the participants about their perspectives on polygyny (where a man is married to more than one woman) and polyandry (where a woman is married to more than one man).

Firstly, men were asked if they would consider sharing their wives with other men, and then if they would accept their partner being shared with other men.

The results of the study, which was published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior, portrayed that 9% of male participants were willing to share their partner, while only 5% of female participants showed interest in a similar arrangement.

The principal author of the study, Dr. Andrew Thomas, pointed out that when comparing polygyny and polyandry, men are three-and-a-half times more probable to approve polygyny than polyandry. Meanwhile, women are twice more likely to accept having multiple partners compared to sharing their partner with others.

Polygyny and polyandry are alternative styles of marriage that involve multiple spouses. Though these practices are not legally accepted or widely favored in UK culture, several cultures worldwide have historically and currently practicing polygamy, mainly polygyny and polyandry, influenced by their cultural, religious, and historical contexts.

According to Dr. Thomas: “Committed non-monogamy is gaining popularity, with an increasing number of couples discussing involving more people in their relationships. Despite such relationships not being new, they are still not as common as monogamous relationships. A noticeable minority of people, especially in a country like the UK where polygamous marriages are prohibited, are getting attracted to these relationships. Predominantly, more men are favoring the idea compared to women, although there is a notable interest among both genders.”