Monogamy

A romantic relationship is one of the most intimate connections in a person's life. This bond is based on the need for affectively pleasant interactions, mutualism, sex, and social exchange taking place in the context of concern for another's welfare. Additionally, adult romantic relationships are vital to human survival and reproductive success and may take the form of various cooperative coalitions with short- or long-term mating strategies, such as monogamy, polygamy, polyandry, and others, depending on cultural, familial, religious, and environmental contexts.

Monogamy is characterized by two adults sexually committed solely to one another for a prolonged period of time or for life. In traditional Western cultures, couples during marriage ceremonies customarily announce their devotion to be monogamous by the vow, “forsaking all others … until death do us part.” Although some restrict the definition of monogamy to involve only one man and one woman in marriage, others expand the meaning to cohabitat-ing and/or homosexual couples who devote themselves only to each other for an extended period of time or for life.

Whereas discrepancies exist in regard to what makes up committed relationships, most authorities agree that romantic relationships may be defined by their boundaries. In particular, monogamous couples are expected to be physically intimate only with one another, and persons who violate the restrictions of such a relationship usually receive disapproval from family, friends, religious groups, and/or society.

Monogamy is not the only option available to adults in romantic relationships. Alternatives include bigamy, one man concurrently married to two women, and polygamy, being married to two or more people simultaneously. Another option is polyandry, one woman married to two or more men at the same time, which is currently practiced by only a dozen or so societies globally.