what are the ethical issue of polygamy?

Question

what are the ethical issues and problems of polygamy?

Answer 1

That's a good question. I assume you mean polygyny, or the practice of having more than one wife, and not polygamy, or the practice of having more than one spouse? There's a huge potential impact it can have on how women are viewed. In other words, if women are not allowed to have more than one husband but can be part of a "group" of wives, then it certainly seems to demote women to second-rate status. This could lead to other losses of women's rights and social standing. How might it affect the right to vote (would women ever vote for a thing like polygyny?) or to hold property (can you imagine the difficulty of sorting out an inheritance among several wives--and how differences are to be resolved in a meaningful way?).
Another possibility for problems arising from polygyny would be the impact it could have on children. For instance, how might children of a 3rd or 4th wife be treated differently from those of the 1st wife? And what about the rights of wives themselves? Would there be a lower standing if you were the 2nd or 3rd wife?
Another problem would be on the definition of marriage. If it was defined as between a man and several women, then why not argue that any type of social arrangement can be protected by law? And are all such arrangements in the best interest of children directly or indirectly affected by those arrangements?
Not that I am for it, but it would be interesting to see what type of arguments there are for polygyny or polyandry, for that matter. Obviously some societies have found it desirable to implement. Is it purely for sexual reasons? Somehow I doubt this is usually the case, although there is a huge potential for abuse of the system to that end.

Answer 2

Besides economical, societal, and legal?
I don't know.

Answer 3

If no one is harmed, there is nothing wrong with it.