co-wives

Plural marriage partners

Co-wives are women married to the same man in a polygynous arrangement.

The term emphasizes their relationship to each other rather than to the shared husband: The co-wives divided household duties among themselves.

Common in anthropological writing and in cultures where polygyny is practiced.

polygyny

levirate

Widow marries husband's brother

rankingOrdered position assignment
hierarchyRanked authority structure
compoundCombined into one

harem · polygynist · bride-price · polygamist

conflict

rivalry

Ongoing contest between opponents

jealousyResentful desire for another's advantages
competitionStruggle for supremacy
favoritismPreferential treatment of some

resentment · discord · tension · neglect · status · hierarchy · disputes · gossip · manipulation · reconciliation

household

rotation

Turning on an axis

favoritismPreferential treatment of some
jealousyResentful desire for another's advantages
harmonyAgreement or musical blend

cooperation · co-parenting · equity · fairness · provisions · allowance

kinship

co-mother

Joint female guardian

half-siblingsChildren sharing one parent
clanRelated group sharing ancestry
lineageDescent from progenitors

inheritance · succession · patrilocal

cultural

Bedouin

Middle Eastern nomadic herder

MaasaiEast African ethnic group
ZuluBantu language of Natal
NigerianFrom Lagos's country

Senegalese · anthropology · ethnography

Opposites

marriage structure

co-wivesnuclear family

Parents plus their offspring

Family

wife, wives, housewife, midwife, wifely, midwifery, wifeless, housewifely, fishwife

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Profile: Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Rated PG