Laws on Bigamy and Polygamy
This page focuses on the laws on bigamy and polygamy in UK and US, highlighting the differences in legal approaches across various locations.
Bigamy is defined as the offense of marrying someone while already being married to another person. Polygamy is described as the practice of having more than one spouse at a time, often with all spouses being aware of each other.
In the United Kingdom, both bigamy and polygamy are currently illegal. The United States also prohibits these practices in all 50 states, although some states have decriminalized them and reduced sentences to the equivalent of a traffic ticket.
Vocabulary: Bigamy refers to the act of marrying someone while already being married, while polygamy is the practice of having multiple spouses simultaneously.
The page then transitions to discussing childhood as a social construct. It emphasizes that childhood is defined by society rather than being a natural or biological state. During the Middle Ages, the concept of childhood as we know it today didn't exist; children were viewed as small adults.
The text describes the harsh working conditions for children during the Industrial Revolution:
- Average working days lasted 12-13 hours
- Children often had to crawl under machinery, risking limb loss
- Child labor was common for economic purposes
Highlight: The concept of childhood has evolved significantly over time, from viewing children as small adults in the Middle Ages to recognizing them as a distinct group requiring protection in modern times.
The page concludes by mentioning the protests against child labor in 1833, which led to new laws protecting children in the workplace, such as:
- 9-13 year-olds were limited to 8-hour workdays
- Mandatory lunch breaks were introduced
- Prohibition of night work for those under 18
