"Is Monogamy Natural" is a carousel posted on Marjani Lane's IG page. This is the all text version of all of the slides.
Natural - existing in or caused by nature; not made or caused by humankind.
Monogamy - the practice or state of being married to one person at a time / in a lifetime
Marriage - the legally or formally recognized union of two people as partners in a personal relationship
Marriage is not an innate state.
The first issue with asking "is monogamy natural" is the lack of understanding of the word - monoGAMY. By definition alone, no - monoGAMY is not natural. But monoAMORY, practice of involving romantic or sexual relationship with single partner at a time, that's a different discussion.
"Okay, so is monoamory natural?"
Sure.
Humans have practiced various types of sexual and romantic interactions since the beginning of our time. Monoamory is as natural as polyamory. However, sexually - humans are not "naturally" monogamous. the sexes can procreate with each other and there be no limit to the amount of sexual partners the sexes can have. Meaning - our bodies are naturally equipped for more than one sexual partner in a lifetime if we so choose.
So what's the deal?
There are various factors as to why some societies favor monogamy/monoamory. Organized religion (like Christianity, even though polygamy is practiced in the Bible), the benefits of being able to be present to raise a child, spiritual belief systems, sperm competition evolving with societies (like mate-guarding) and more. None of this means monoamory is the superior state of sexual and romantic relationships.