Polygamy\u201d\u201dor more specifically polygyny, the marriage of one man to more than one woman\u201d\u201dhas been widespread in human history. And it is becoming increasingly common, particularly in Muslim enclaves\u201d\u201dincluding in Paris, London and New York.<\/p>\n
A 2006 report by the National Consultative Commission on Human Rights reported that approximately 180,000 people were living in polygamous households in France. For decades, France allowed entrance to polygamous immigrants from about 50 countries where the practice was legal. When the French government banned polygamy in 1993, it tried to support the decohabitation of such couples if a wife wanted to move into her own apartment with her children.<\/p>\n
In Britain, where immigration laws have banned the practice for longer, there appear to be about a thousand valid polygamous marriages, mostly among immigrants who married elsewhere, such as in Pakistan. Such families are allowed to collect social security benefits for each wife, although the government has apparently not counted how many are doing so.<\/p>\n