On Polygamy and Poverty

Gamos is the Greek word for marriage. We propose gamos theory, or g-theory, the theory that differences in marriage law must drive profound differences in the societies in which those laws rule. Polygamy, the marriage law that eliminates a woman's right to marry but not that of her mate, produces a scarcity of marriageable females. Hoarding and marauding, common in societies plagued by scarcity, should be endemic to polygamous societies, with disastrous consequences for everyone. 

A version of this paper was first presented at the Southwestern Social Sciences Association Annual Meeting in Austin on April 14, 2017