What happens if women decide they don't need to be married but can take contraceptives or get abortions to avoid pregnancy? They can get jobs to maintain themselves or, if they have children, go on welfare. A small percentage of women may find some temporary peace in these "solutions," but on a large scale it cannot possibly work. The reasons are many-fold:
First, children need two parents who both love them. That is the obvious and best condition for a child's mental health. Without that, they tend to grow up with problems. Then the whole society suffers in the future generation. That is happening now. AU these neglected children who were not conceived in holy wedlock, but were products of the sexual revolution, are the criminals of today. No need to say more on what that means for society.
Secondly, women still need/want the company and security of men. Many women claiming equality on the outside, are actually very insecure and unhappy inside. Men also suffer in this way but not as badly. Most single or divorced women will always have in their minds how to capture a man. This encourages illicit affairs, which in tum degrades society. Men who should be peacefully living at home with their wives or expanding their brains in school, will be distracted and tempted to enjoy sex with all these single, attractive women. The education level will naturally drop in society, and the adultery level will rise. Party-goers and womanizers are generally not very interested in study or spiritual life. The society then becomes animalistic as is seen in the West today.
Thirdly, there is disease. If God had intended for anyone and everyone to have sex with many partners, then He would not have created this world with venereal diseases. Venereal disease is nature's way of checking sex outside of marriage. Right now, we are seeing that nature is starting to check illicit sex to the point that one is almost guaranteed of getting one disease or another if he/she is promiscuous.
Fourthly, what happens to the state when millions of women and children are living on welfare? Who is actually paying for all this? Through taxes, it always works out that the honest, responsible men of society have to support the women who are impregnated by irresponsible men. In this sense, polygamy is indirectly taking place in this country, the only difference being we call it welfare. Factually, polygamy is a natural necessity in society, because there are always more women than responsible men. When polygamy is allowed, at least the women have a real husband and the children have a real father whom they can see and talk to. In the state welfare polygamy system, one man is still maintaining many women and children, but he does not love or even know them, since he is not the impregnating father. The impregnating father is some derelict who, in Vedic culture, would be labeled an untouchable. Thus, the caste system is the natural system designed by God to protect women from low-class men. Of course, where polygamy is legal, women may suffer to a minor degree due to having to share a husband, but at least the children have a father to call their own and the women are protected. So we think any sane woman will agree that it would be better to share one husband with another woman, and thereby have a loving father for her children, than to have no husband except the welfare check. Therefore Prabhupada says that societies that outlaw polygamy are demoniac. In one sense Prabhupada also condemned polygamy since the vast majority of his disciples were irresponsible to even one wife, but the principle of polygamy will ultimately be essential if illicit sex is to be avoided in society.