Polygamy is still occurring, except without the official status of wife.
Makes me wonder if the benefits of outlawing polygamy in the US might not outweigh the harm - especially because it happens anyway.
For me, marriage is both an outdated and terrifying prospect. The thought of being with one woman for the rest of my life, sexually, is off-putting. So instead of doing what many others do - cheat, get caught, divorce, repeat - I just choose not to marry. Unless I find someone of a similar mind-set.
Dating sites are filled to the brim with women/men who want a "discreet" relationship. Instead of being open about our needs and communicating and accepting those needs, we choose to hide/vilify those who are brave enough to do. So as a society we keep up this fake appearance of "proper" when increasingly more and more are cheating, getting divorced, being miserable...why? Why is this necessary? I don't get it.
Sorry for ranting. It's just what you said struck a chord with me.
I would ague that marriage is not a need. It's an artificial construct that we impose on ourselves in a time when we don't need to do it. Women don't need you to survive, they can be their own providers now.
And why do you need to be betrothed to one woman for all eternity? Nature would love for you to spread your seed amongst many more women - larger bio-diversity.
But nobody is stopping you if traditional marriage is what you want to do, of course, more power to you.
As you said, polygamy already exists, just without the legal framework calling it a marriage.
Polygamy is actually a rarity in human societies, and while it definitely exists as a cultural practice, it's usually in a society with heavy restrictions on freedom. What is more usual is monogamous relationships with a small amount of adultery on the side. Given the choice of the two, the latter is arguably a better choice for societies, which is why it is the norm.
Polygamy is pretty common cross-culturally in agricultural societies, if not commonly the dominant form of marriage.