Özet:

Saudi Arabia has long been portrayed as a “hub of polygyny,” a practice of marriage in which a man marries several women simultaneously. However, my recent research among Saudi male youths suggest that this practice is waning nowadays. A younger generation in the Kingdom seems to prefer monogamy—a man marrying one wife—to polygamy for several essential reasons, factors and arguments. Based on interviews and conversations with a number of young Saudis as well as outcomes of survey findings, this article tries to debunk the myth of polygyny in the Kingdom and attempts to understand the rationales and logics behind monogamy choice among male (and female) youths of contemporary Saudi Arabia. The article also briefly highlights the practice of polygyny and monogamy in multiple societies outside Saudi Arabia to compare and gain knowledge on various practices of marriage. Seen from another viewpoint, the article is a reflection of a modern-day fruitful socio-cultural development and change in Saudi Arabia that have received enthusiastic and public acclaim across the globe.

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