Monogamy

Monogamy is the practice of forming an emotionally romantic relationship with only one other partner at a time. This is directly contrasted by polyamory, which is the practice of forming, or being willing to form, an emotionally romantic relationship with more than one partner at a time. Being monogamous doesn't necessarily preclude a person who practices monogamy from entering into a relationship with someone who practices polyamory, though it requires open discussion and understanding to work, if the polyamorous partner ever does take on a second partner.

Generally, romantic monogamy and sexual monogamy are seen as going hand in hand, with a monogamous individual only engaging in sexual acts with their romantic partner. Monogamy is also a common form of romantic identification, with those even not currently within a relationships identifying themselves with monogamous values and mindsets.

Cultural acceptance

A rare relationship model among native Yuribans, monogamy is thought, by most outsiders, to be something foreign and imported to the island. This is not the case: monogamous natives, however, comprise a minority of Yuribans and tend to often end up in relationships with those that practice polyamory. Generally, the native culture is accepting of monogamy as well as polyamory, though it is viewed as a somewhat eccentric relationship model. Monogamy tends to be more prevalent among very elderly natives.

Monogamy tends to be favoured more by immigrants than by natives, as the native relationship model strongly favours polyamory; it is, however, not universal, as many immigrants are not monogamous. Those foreign immigrants who do strongly identify as monogamous sometimes experience strong culture shock upon arriving to the island, some accusing the local culture of not valuing or respecting the sanctity of romantic relationships.

Criticism

Proponents of monogamy tend to believe that love is cheapened when spread around to too many individuals. A common criticism, however, is that monogamy denies the heart's natural instincts towards love for others by locking it into a singular, immovable relationship. Another criticism is that monogamy leads to predictable, monotonous relationships with no possibility of change, renewal, or experimentation. It is, however, worth noting that monogamous relationships and polyamorous relationships tend to enjoy similar levels of stability and duration in Yuriba.

Demographics

In 2006, 45.7% of the population identified as monogamous, a slight plurality over those identifying as polyamorous (43.9%). In 2007, 36.8% of the population identified as monogamous, a gap of nearly 22% as compared to those identifying as polyamorous.