A subject on a completely unrelated forum raised some questions for me. Is there such a thing as infidelity in polygamous (or other) types of marriages? I imagine there must be, but how does it work?

Makes sense I suppose. Although it would bring a whole new dimension to exposure if there were other wives involved!

I guess it's just an area I know nothing about. I know there are some highly structured cultures that practice polygamy - heck, there are cultures whose entire family structures are completely alien to us westerners. I suppose another reason they don't come here is because HERE is completely alien to them. I just wonder if infidelity is something that plagues them too, or is it limited to what we consider to be a traditional marriage?

shaddup, Spanky!

LOL, Pep.

Mel, are you saying France practices Polygamy? Is that what you are saying? France is very near and dear to my french loving heart. JSYN

Patterns of occurrence worldwide

According to the Ethnographic Atlas Codebook, of the 1231 societies noted, 186 were monogamous. 453 had occasional polygyny, 588 had more frequent polygyny, and 4 had polyandry.[2] At the same time, even within societies which allow polygyny, the actual practice of polygyny occurs relatively rarely. There are exceptions: in Senegal, for example, nearly 47 percent of marriages are multiple.[5] To take on more than one wife often requires considerable resources: this may put polygamy beyond the means of the vast majority of people within those societies. Such appears the case in many traditional Islamic societies, and in Imperial China. Within polygynous societies, multiple wives often become a status symbol denoting wealth and power. Similarly, within societies that formally prohibit polygamy, social opinion may look favorably on persons maintaining mistresses or engaging in serial monogamy.

BTW, the jokes are funny and I am laughing, but I'm also very curious as to whether infidelity is a problem in western culture, a problem with monogomous marriages in general, or if it is a universal marital problem.

Thailand
Until polygamy was outlawed by King Rama VI, it was expected that wealthy or upper-class Thai men were historically recognized to maintain mansions consisting of multiple wives and their children in the same residence. Among the royalty and courtiers in the past, wives were classified as principal, secondary, and slave. Today, the tradition of minor wives still remains, but the practice is different from that of the past. Due to the expense involved, minor wives are mostly limited to the wealthy men. While a "proper woman" (Kulasatrii; Thai: กุลสตรี) must remain faithful to her husband, there were no equivalent rules in history mandating fidelity in the "virtuous man."
Regardless of the historical acceptance, male polygamy or plural marriage is no longer legally or socially acceptable in the contemporary Thai society. However, the practice of having "minor wives" (Mia-Noi: เมียน้อย) continues in modern days in secrecy from the "primary wife" (Mia-Luang: เมียหลวง).[14] Almost all married Thai women today object to this practice, and indeed for many it has been grounds for divorce.[15] Minor wives are viewed with contempt by the Thai society along the lines of being amoral women or home breakers.[16]

I know some countries kill women for cheating and the man can do what ever he wants.