Multilateral Marriage

Marrying multiple people is illegal in most parts of the world. However, the people in a multilateral marriage consider themselves to be married in their hearts, even if their marriage is not recognized by law. Many people in multilateral marriages hold commitment ceremonies, which resemble marriage ceremonies, in order to formally sanction their relationships.

Despite their lack of legal recognition, the people in a multilateral marriage typically behave similarly to other married couples. They most commonly live together and share household chores and finances, as well as raise children together. People within multilateral marriages often have more defined household roles than traditional married dyads in order to ensure they are not in competition with one another. While the people within a multilateral marriage may not all love one another equally, this does not seem to matter as much as their commitment to making the marriage work.