Note 456 — Chapter III · THEORY OF THE ORIGINAL PAIRING OR MONOGAMOUS FAMILY
Reading edition
Wake, Marriage and Kinship, 202 ff., thus summarizes the causes of polygyny: "First, the sterility of the first wife," as in the case of Rachel; "secondly, the length of time during which a woman suckles her child; thirdly, the sexual requirements of man while leading a hunting or pastoral mode of life; fourthly, the accidental scarcity of men; and, fifthly, the luxury or sensuality of man, or the desire for influence and power."