Monogami

Monogami, often written as monogamy in English, is a mating pattern in which an individual forms a long-term sexual and/or social bond with a single partner. In biology and anthropology, two main distinctions are commonly made: social monogamy, where a pair shares a life and cooperates in raising offspring, and genetic (sexual) monogamy, where the offspring are sired by only one partner. Serial monogamy refers to a sequence of exclusive partnerships over an individual's lifetime.

In humans, monogami is widespread but culturally variable. Many societies promote lifelong monogamous marriage as a social ideal, while others permit or encourage non-monogamous arrangements or remarriage after dissolution. Rates of divorce and remarriage, premarital cohabitation, and attitudes toward fidelity differ across regions and eras, reflecting economic, religious, and legal influences.

In the animal world, monogami occurs in a subset of species. Social monogamy is common among several birds, including swans and many songbirds, and among some mammals such as certain rodent and canid species. However, social monogami does not always entail genetic monogamy; extra-pair copulations can produce offspring sired by individuals outside the pair bond, and paternity can still be uncertain even in ostensibly monogamous pairs.

Biological and evolutionary explanations emphasize the benefits of shared parental care and coordinated resource defense, as well as ecological factors that constrain mate choice. Neuroendocrine mechanisms, including oxytocin and vasopressin pathways, have been linked to pair bonding in several species. The concept of monogami thus reflects a range of behavioral, ecological, and cultural phenomena rather than a single universal pattern.