Final answer:
Polyandry refers to a form of marriage in which one woman is married to several men, often brothers, which is a specific form of polygamy. Polygyny, another form of polygamy, involves one man with multiple wives. Both arrangements are culturally specific and hold various socio-economic implications.
Step-by-step explanation:
When a woman marries several men or usually brothers, this is referred to as polyandry. It is a form of marriage in which one woman is married to more than one man at a time. On the other hand, polygyny is when one man is married to more than one woman at the same time. Both of these are subtypes of polygamy, which is the state of being committed or married to more than one person at a time.
Polygamy is practice that varies widely around the world and has socio-cultural, economic, and legal aspects. In certain societies, like those in Northern Africa and East Asia, polygamy is accepted and even expected in some cases. The reasons for polygamy often include population growth, religious ideologies, social status, and economic factors. Polyandry specifically, while rarer than polygyny, can offer benefits such as minimizing population growth and allowing for shared resources in societies where these are scarce.