Is monogamy the norm
It was probably always the norm, at least in a way that also tolerated concubines.When you dissect the question of monogamy down to animal instincts and primal behaviors it is clear that monogamy is not common.The answer is that monogamy became the norm for humans millions of years ago.Most people would find it difficult to list several polygamous cultures.With this dynamic came conflict as females fought with the other females.In other words, the majority of interviewed younger men in monogamous relationships considered monogamy to be the norm.
Before monogamy was made the social norm, polygyny, one man with multiple female partners, was the norm in many countries.This is due to the amount of care a child needs and the duration that they need said care.Monogamy is by far the norm in muslim societies, as most men cannot afford to maintain more than one family, and many of those who could would rather not.Yet according to the ethnographic atlas codebook, a survey of over 1,231 societies found only 186 monogamous societies and 1,045 polygamous societies.Although monogamy is the norm in contemporary western societies, this is a relatively new convention.But it is unclear how well we humans can achieve this aim in the present environment.