It’s all about power and control... smart women will do well to get involved in government and vote against such game players.

I'm not a resident of Utah, but I've had some experience with couples adding an extra non-legal spouse to their marriage arrangement. All have been multiple female spouses to one male. I have not seen any cases yet where there are multiple male spouses for a female.

I'm not sure men have the temperament to share a female with another male... My experience is that men are pretty territorial and don't like sharing. Maybe something built in from religion, I don't know.

I only see a sliver of the population, so I hope more people comment with their knowledge or experience. My thought is that (for religious purposes) the multiple wives are for more children for the patriarch, and the excess men were cast out or sent to war?

When I was young, I had questions after watching the movie "The King and I" and I remember my mom telling me that the excess men were turned into eunuchs to serve the King, while not physically able to dishonor the wives.

In modern times, I think having multiple legal spouses would mess up the tax system.

Good question.

As many wives as you can attract and afford, in an ultra-patriarchal way.
No one wife, many husbands! Of course not! That'd make too much sense!
Besides, the men would probably end up beating each other to a pulp...

One wife, many husbands makes more sense.. because one man cannot satisfy more than one woman at a time and many men can't even satisfy one woman!!!

It's religion plain and simple

I understand polyandry is practiced by humans in many areas, though I was unaware how prevalent it was and is. Fascinating cultural anthropology, about which I'd really like to understand.

you expect sexual equality from the patriarchy of the Mormon church? LOL. well bless your heart!!

This is why they use the word Polygamy (many wives)in the hope the inequality will not be noticed, the word for many husbands is Polyandry to be completely fair they should use the word polyamory which simply means many lovers.

EDIT
It has been pointed out to me that Polygamy actually means Many Marriages, not many wives, and that as of the end of the 19th century could therefore be synonymous with polyamory, prior to that time since a woman could not legal marry a man (she had to be married by him) it was always used to mean many wives (Bigamy was the crime of having more than one spouse male or female).
However today Polygyny is the offense of having more than one wife, and polygamy has replaced bigamy as the offense of having multiple spouses

[en.wikipedia.org]