With the sanction of the bishop of sierra leone they resolved that, while the wives of a polygamist, if believed to be true converts, might. Womens narratives of living in polygamous marriages. Polygamy from late greek, polygamia, state of marriage to many spouses is the practice of marrying multiple spouses. At first polygamy in western africa was very popular, but as islam has started to diffuse in this region, the prevalence of polygamy has significantly lowered due to the restriction that appeared to the number of wives a man could have. Polygamy and poverty culture impacts women in rural africa. Polygamy not only violates the divine design that marriage should be a communion of life between just one man and one woman who then become two in one flesh gen. Polygynous marriage and child health in subsaharan africa. Genderbased violence, particularly sexual violence, is a.
This can be seen, for instance, in the fact that the taking of a second wife is so often the simple consequence of the barrenness of the first. Polygamy is illegal in ghana, but the restrictions are not heavily enforced. Effects of polygamy on women and children research papers. Women and colonialism african studies oxford bibliographies. Impact of a polygamous marriage on children and family the. All polygamous marriages entered into in accordance with the provisions of the recognition of customary marriages act are legal. First wives, in principle, enjoy social respect, agency as house. Inequalities of right and dignity that seal a union in which one is at the mercy of the other on an affective, economic, and family level.
It could be really difficult to outrightly, or even condemn polygamy at all. The research has found that many men in both lower and. The polygamy was widely accepted throughout the world until the roman empire and the roman catholic church has imposed the rules of having just one wife, but multiple other lovers were the norm. Polygamy remains common and mostly legal in west africa polygamy has declined in the last decade but remains common in west africa. In order for such a union to be legally valid, it needs to comply with the requirements of a valid customary marriage in south africa both parties must be above the age of 18. Mar 25, 2019 in 1742, the bethlehem female seminary was established in germantown, pennsylvania, becoming the first institute of higher education for women in the united states.
These include the protocol to the african charter on human and peoples rights on the rights of women in africa. Muslim men who intend to marry more women are expected to discuss their decisions with their first wives. Polygamy devalues women and the only person who revels in it is the husband who gets to enjoy variety. Africa has the highest rate of polygamy prevalence in the world therborn2006. Apr 16, 2020 however, polygamy became controversial in america, specifically the among the mormon fundamentalists. Apr 17, 2018 from about 25 years ago, when the number of women in top political leadership and parliament in africa started to rise, the first crop were warriors who had fought for womens rights in a hostile patriarchal africa dominated by reactionary powerful men. Polygamy constitutes a prime feature of rural africa. Lastly, womens activists may take quite varying stances towards sexuality. The federation of women lawyers, a powerful womens rights group, applauded aspects of the bill and criticized others. South africa is almost the aids capital of the world, mr madlala says.
Sub saharan africa has one of the fastest annual population. In the continent of africa, the first anglicans to try to solve the problem of polygamy were, according to hastings, c. But in 1896, leaders in utah, where the mormon faith was born, were forced to abandon such practice in exchange for statehood. Polygamy and poverty culture impacts women in rural africa by wnn. The couple started a small commercial agriculture business almost two decades ago. The problems with polygamy institute for family studies. The task of defining the start of the union is often left to the respondent. Even though polygamy is a part of its traditions, there is a new reality that raises questions about whether this lifestyle has a place in modern south africa. First, economists since becker 1974 have linked polygamy to inequality between men. Polygamy and islam polygamy and islam 5 one point greatly in need of clarification is the fact that in the matter of marrying more than one woman, the initiative does not lie solely with any individual man. As new wives joined a compound, older ones could focus on their trading.
Women notes that polygamy is one of a range of marriage practices discriminatory toward women. Pdf on jan 1, 1998, philippe antoine and others published african polygamy. More than 5 million people in south africa are hiv positive the most of any country in the world. Previously the history of women s political organization, their struggle for freedom from oppression, for community rights and, importantly, for gender equality, was largely ignored in history texts. When a man is married to more than one wife at a time, sociologists call this polygyny. Polygamy already is a common fixture among many cultures in. The decline in polygamy has been related to changing social conditions, the increase in democracy, the decline in arranged marriages, the increase in companionate marriage 17 and the improvement in the education of and human rights protections for women. Is hivaids epidemic outcome of poverty in subsaharan africa. It is also defined as the other side of the coin when. Jul 08, 2015 in a piece she wrote for the wall street journal in 2011, rose mcdermott, a professor of political science at brown university, wrote about her research on polygamy, which is practiced by substantial subcultures in france, britain, and the u. First, the atlantic slave trade removed more men than women from the affected areas of the continent.
I begin with a simple model that motivates the hypotheses that i test. Polygamy was common and widespread in the ancient world and widely practiced among some religious groups. Joseph smith, founder of the mormon church, approved polygamy in the 1840s. Polygamy increased where there was a scarcity of males in the population first reason. Proponents of the social school explained that at the time polygyny was established as the legal form of marriage, the ratio of women to men in africa was about 10 to 1. Mar 21, 2007 in uganda, polygamy, whether tied by legal matrimony or as a matter of common law, is the norm. In the state of nature, people were generally polygamous, as are most animals. Strategy for gender based violence prevention, mitigation and. Black polygamy has been low key trending for decades. All of the participants are married 15 had a postmatric qualification, whereas the remaining six participants had a matric qualification.
The husband in an existing customary marriage wishing to marry a second wife must apply to a competent court for such a marriage to be legal. Anthropological pespectives cambridge university press cambridge 2001 102126. D department of religious studies olabisi onabanjo university, agoiwoye ogun state, nigeria abstract. Polyandry is another form of polygamy in which women practice having two or more husbands. This very old practice is essentially recognised under customary law andor. Polygamy in subsaharan africa has been linked to poverty, infant mortality, and hiv. In the context of wartorn society in seventhcentury arabia, one which left many women widowed and children orphaned, the discussion of polygamy was revealed as part of a directive to treat female orphans justly. In 19 after his first missionary outing to the city of monrovia, he traveled eastward down the coast he took two women with him as missionary assistants. Womens precolonial political activity was generally disregarded by the colonial authorities, who turned exclusively to men when they established local political offices.
Later in the year he crossed the border and entered the ivory coast where he continued his crusades. By exposing nearly all women to early and prolonged risks of pregnancy, the po. Still, in a society where gender roles are very rigid and women do most of the work around the farm and household, some women like having a cowife. History of womens struggle in south africa south african. Polygamy may offer shortterm benefits to women in societies where women have generally low. Both parties must have consented to the marriage under customary law. African indigenous churches chapter six freelance prophets. Gaffneyrhys r polygamy and the rights of women 2011 women and society 115 griffiths gendering culture griffiths a gendering culture. Furthermore it prevents the husband from giving his whole heart to the woman of his choice, which. In tanzania the cnrle polygamy rate increased fonn 1.
Polygamy rates appem to be 10\\er in fast, central and southern africa than in west africa. This practice is very common among the animist and the muslim communities. Furthermore it prevents the husband from giving his whole heart to the woman of his choice, which we cannot but look upon as the natural ideal in marriage. Through polygamous marriages women in precolonial africa often had greater personal autonomy. Yet most muslims are of the view that polygamy protects women from a life of celibacy, saves single, unemployed mothers from economic hardship, provides widows with companionship and gives unmarried women the opportunity of having a husband and children badawi, 2000. View effects of polygamy on women and children research papers on academia. The women ranged in age from twenty six to fortyone years. In the polygamy belt stretching from senegal to tanzania. This study is the first to examine and compare the psychological symptomatology, selfesteem and life satisfaction of women in polygamous and monogamous relationships in syria.
At first the polygamy was very popular in the west part of africa, but as the islam has started to diffuse in this region, the prevalence of polygamy has started to continuously reduce due to the restrictions that appeared to the number of wives. Polygamy is therefore, defined as a form of marriage in which a man, as the head of the family, can have more than one wife at the same time. If a marriage includes multiple husbands and wives, it can be called a group marriage. Scholars have suggested, for example, that polygamy crowds out productive investment tertilt 2005, reduces investment in girls education edlund and lagerlof 2006 or diminishes the labour supply of unmarried men edlund and lagerlof 2012.
The truth is that most plural wives were younger than the first wife, so they werent exactly spinsters rescued by polygamy. The polygamy was widely accepted during the last two thousands of years in the subsaharan africa also. Top 10 reasons why african men love polygamy expert. Polygyny and womens health in subsaharan africa penn arts. Wlsawomen and law in southern africa, an ngo specialized in research, analysis and. Polygamy is very common in the animist and muslim communities of west africa.
In africa, the americas, and southeast asia in the premodern era, circa 600 bce 1600 ce, both monogamy and polygyny occurred. Even for women, polygamy in ancient times was not always disadvantageous. In the first of four s, the thesis considers chapter various cultural aspects of polygamy in subsaharan africa. You, poor women, will become nothing more than a dish at the buffet. Polygamy is not a concept that is foreign to us on the african continent, or indeed other parts of the world. Polygamy has been cited as a possible contributor to africas low savings rates tertilt, 2005, widespread incidence of hiv brahmbhatt et al. For example, 33% of women in nigeria reported that their husbands have more than one wife demographic and health survey, 20. Polygamy is legal under certain circumstances in south africa. This very old practice is essentially recognised under customary law andor religious practices. Despite this, the cultural practice still raises eyebrows. The first wife acknowledges that the reader may not know the nuances of bride price, polygamy, and other specific cultural practices and explains them without being too disruptive to the readers experience, and the reader leaves with a deeper understanding of one womans experiences after living in two different marriage models. Its no secret that there is a disproportionate number of black men in prison in the west. Polygamy, which is defined as the practice of having more than one spouse, is a common, and widespread, socially as well as culturally accepted phenomenon in many african countries 1,2.
And successful women traders, such as the iyalodes in yorubaland, had a lot of. Polygamy has been cited as a possible contributor to africa s low savings rates tertilt, 2005, widespread incidence of hiv brahmbhatt et al. A total of 21 women were recruited and participated in the study. Drafters should include provisions which provide aid and assistance to wives of polygynous husbands. They secured a small piece of land and began growing vegetables and other cash crops.
In the first period, men trade their endowments of wealth and sisters in return for wives. The cedaw committees general recommendation 29 reaffirms the goal of abolishing polygamy and makes clear that, with regard to women in existing polygamous marriages, states parties should take the necessary measures to ensure the protection of their economic rights. Jan 06, 2010 polygamy is very common in the animist and muslim communities of west africa. Polygamy and christianity in africa t a falaye, ph. The average age of the participants was 30 years old. Oct 16, 2007 this entry was posted on october 16, 2007 at 3. We begin by describing key features of african polygyny. In most cases, women do not have access to their children if they decide to leave polygyny, nor are they allowed to take them, due to cultural ideas of ownership in relation to progeny. There is always the conditionan inescapable onethat whatever the society, the women should outnumber the men.
Violence against womenvaw refers to the violence acts perpetrated against. In botswana, women have an interesting twist on the old saying a woman s work is never done. Polygamy, or comarriage to multiple wives, is discussed in the quran as a response to a specific social situation. Where polygamy exists, violence against women perpetrated by a husband, as well as violence between cowives, tends to be high. In many parts of west africa, women were members of associations run by and for women, which gave women the final say in disputes over markets or agriculture.
The reasons for its existence and persistence are varied and have been a source of fierce. Marriage in contemporary sub saharan africa is substantially marked by the movement from polygamous marriages to monogamous marriage. Musa mseleku, a husband to four wives and father of 10, who has written a book on polygamy hopes he will change the many misconceptions of the ageold practice. Polygamy and poverty are both widespread in africa. You can follow any responses to this entry through the rss 2.
Whereas it is believed erroneously among many people that polygamy implies the art of a man being married to more than one wife, the true definition of polygamy implies the. Two, represents well how polygamy began for participants who were first wives. However in the hebrew bible, the polygamy was permitted only if a man has more than one wife, at the same time if a woman had more than one husband, it was seen as adultery. Muthengi polygamy and the church in africa 59 second, polygamy is mot1vated by desire to secure all1ance w1th good families in this case, marriage from the african context is viewed as involving families and communities rather than individuals hillman 1975. Moreover, diseases associated with sex can even be viewed as male status symbols, especially in the muslim society. In those regions in eastern africa a ected by the indian ocean slave trades, polygyny remained uncommon. To say that its their choice is a real denial of gender inequalities. Polygamy and poverty are both widespread in subsaharan africa. Violence against women in mozambique united nations. Indeed, supporting polygamy is a sensible thing to do because men already like having many partners, it enhances personal freedom, helps to prevent or minimize adultery, is an integral part of some culture, was practiced by great men of christianity and islam and other religions, helps to decrease the number of single women in society, helps. Polygamy, in a large part of subsaharan africa, has long coexisted with a primitive system of agriculture in which women do most of the farmwork boserup 1970. Ending child marriage in africa human rights watch.
For example in senegal there are almost 47% of the marriages where they feature more than one woman. Combine that with an oppressive system of welfare and imbalances in the earning power of black women and you have a. Polygamy is often perceived as oppressive to women. Feminism in africa in this first part we will look at womens activism in africa. This idea was especially true in the 1850s, though as the decades passed, convincing young women to enter into plural marriage got tougher. Fourth, modern female education does not reduce polygamy. Women worldwide, in past and present, may take wholly different stands on abortion, genital mutilation, infanticide, womens seclusion, polygamy and homosexuality. As the result, those who were responsible for establishing social institutions the elders, including women, decided to come up with a marriage system that would address this. With many animals, the male leaves the female soon after mating and long before any offspring are born according to. For those regions in western africa a ected by the transatlantic slave trades, polygyny either emerged or was strengthened as an institution. Such was the situation that when africans started founding african independent and indigenous churches, they could not condemn polygamy at all. Overall the polygamy in africa is a very common practice that you are going to find all over africa, but it tends to be more popular especially in the west african countries.
As opposed to polygyny one man with multiple wives, some. It is only over the last three or four decades that women s role in the history of south africa has, belatedly, been given some recognition. In senegal, for example, nearly 47 per cent of marriages are said to feature multiple women. Typically, when a man gets a new wife, he clears a. Polygamy remains common and mostly legal in west africa. Polygamy has declined in the last decade but remains common in west africa. Towards a plural perspective on kwena womens rights in cowan jk, dembour m, and william ra eds culture and rights. An exploratory study of south african women s experiences of.
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