One of the effects of the British Colonial rule in India is that Parallel Polygamy was outlawed and serial Polygamy was allowed., for all Indians except Muslims.
Parallel polygamy means more than wife at a time.
Serial Polygamy means marrying a woman and divorcing her so you can marry another. Technically the divorced woman can marry again too, but it is much harder, for two reasons. One is religious, by far and large Hindus believe that the bride must be a kanya (un-married girl). Two, in modern Hinduism, unlike in Chanakya’s time,there is no such thing as a divorce.
The husband is expected to pay his wife alimony and child support, in the previous centuries, he was expected to do that anyway and she had some status as the older wife.
Has serial polygamy benefitted Indian women or Indian Society in any way?
