How laws change from culture to culture

• polygamy is the practice of having more than one wife or one husband at the same time.
• there are two forms of polygamy:

  1. polygyny - where a man may take two or more wives
  2. polyandry - where a woman may take two or more husbands
• polygyny is legal in 58 countries, while polyandry is confined to a handful of societies.
• most societies where polygamy is legal are muslim majority countries.
• in five multi-cultural societies with a large muslim population (india, malaysia, the philippines, singapore and sri lanka), the law permits polygamous marriages, but for muslims only.
• polygamy is against the law in most countries. even many muslim countries place restrictions on it and in two - turkey and tunisia - polygamy is a crime.
• in the uk, anyone who goes through a marriage ceremony while they are still married to someone else, is committing the crime of bigamy. bigamy is punishable by up to seven years imprisonment, a fine or both.
• the law on polygamy varies due to religion and tradition. the qur’an permits muslim men to take up to four wives. in the usa, the mormon church practised polygamy until 1890 and it continues to be practised illegally by some fundamentalist mormon splinter groups. it has also traditionally been practised in some african societies.
• adultery involves a sexual act between two people, one or both of whom is married to another person.
• what counts as a ‘sexual act’ may vary between cultures or states.
• most societies that criminalise adultery are muslim-majority countries, though several christian-majority countries in africa make adultery a criminal offence, as do the philippines, taiwan and 21 us states,
• punishment of adultery varies widely, from stoning to death, to caning, to a fine.
• adultery is legal in most countries. in india, it ceased to be a crime in 2018.
• most religions condemn adultery. not committing adultery is one of the ten commandments shared by christianity, islam and judaism.
• in societies where law-making has been strongly influenced by religion, adultery has often been made a crime.
• laws against adultery are often found in societies where women occupy a very subordinate position. usually in such societies, the adultery laws themselves are unequal.
• sexual acts between members of the same sex are treated as crimes in a number of countries.
• male homosexuality is illegal in 72 countries and in 45 so are lesbian relationships. in six countries, conviction can result in the death penalty.
• in some countries, such as russia, homosexuality is not illegal but the law bans its ‘promotion’.
• many countries which do not criminalise homosexuality, nevertheless do not allow same-sex couples to marry or adopt.
• homosexuality is legal in the uk, europe and north and south america. although it is a crime in many muslim countries, in indonesia, the world’s largest muslim state by population, it is legal.
• many religions, including christianity, islam and judaism have traditionally condemned homosexuality.
• countries where religion has a strong influence over law-making are more likely to have laws making homosexuality a crime. by contrast, in secular societies (ones where religion has less influence), social norms are generally more tolerant of sexual diversity.
• polls by the pew research center show higher levels of support for bans on homosexuality in some countries. some of these countries where religion has a strong influence (for example, 95% in egypt believed homosexuality should be rejected) but others, such as russia are not.
• the fact that male homosexuality is a crime in more countries than lesbianism is, may be due to sexist assumptions made by male lawmakers that women were incapable of same-sex attraction.
• laws on cannabis vary widely between different societies. in general, possession of cannabis for person use is treated more leniently than growing, importing or supplying cannabis.
• in the uk, possession of cannabis can be punished with up to 5 years imprisonment and supply with 14 years. however, sentences are typically far lighter and for possession may often be a fine or a discharge. many other european countries have similar laws relating to cannabis,
• some places have legalised possession of cannabis for personal recreational or medical use. others have also legalised its sale, including canada and uruguay.
• some countries, such as portugal, have decriminalised cannabis possession for personal use. this means that it has been reclassified as a misdemeanour, or minor offence. the offender receives a warning rather than a more severe penalty.
• differences in laws on cannabis to some extent reflect differences in norms, values and attitudes between societies.
• societies with a greater emphasis on individual freedoms may see drug use as victimless or as an individual‘s right to do as they wish with their body.
• lawmakers in some societies take the view that the best way to prevent drugs causing harm is by taking a tough stance to deter their use.
• some societies favour severe criminal penalties even for possession of cannabis, which they see as a ‘gateway’ drug that can lead to addiction to hard drugs such a heroin.
• lawmakers in some societies see legalisation or decriminalisation as a way to take cannabis out of the hands of criminal suppliers and to reduce the harm by enabling users to get help for their problems.