If people are brought up to accept a certain way of life, can they be said to have free will if they choose to follow what they have been taught is right? Whatever age they make their choices? In the case of marrying in early teens, the girls have clearly not reached their full development of mind. I note that none of the wives are of the same age, or near the same age as the husband, and that the gap is considerable between him and the oldest. Either he had some difficulty in finding a partner when he was at the normal age for marriage, or, living in a polygamous society, all the women his own age had been snapped up by the older men in the group. Polygyny must have the effect either of depriving some men of partnership, or of driving down the age of marriage for the females. It cannot treat women as of equal value with men. I am aware that the religious groups concerned are of the opinion that God supports this view - it's the one thing all long established religions agree about, but I feel that an argument which makes Goering the spiritual superior of Hildegard von Bingen lacks moral power.

Sorcha's point about the synchronous menstruation had occurred to me, but I am afraid the amusing vision of every one of those mobile home doors being shut to him once a month wouldn't happen because of the regular pregnancies