Polygyny

• 1. The Polygamy Belt of West Africa

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  In 2019, the country of Burkina Faso recorded a polygyny prevalence rate of 36 percent. Mali followed closely with 34 percent, and Gambia stood at 30 percent. These three nations sit within a geographic zone known as the polygamy belt that stretches across West and Central Africa. This region holds the highest concentration of such marriages anywhere on Earth. The practice is deeply rooted in local culture and history. In sub-Saharan Africa overall, about 11 percent of the population lives in these unions. That figure rises to 25 percent among Muslim populations and drops to just 3 percent among Christians. Outside of Africa, Afghanistan, Yemen, and Iraq show the next highest rates globally. Some scholars argue that the historical slave trade altered male-to-female sex ratios in this area. They believe this demographic shift helped fortify the emergence of polygynous practices in specific regions of Africa.

• 2. Labor Division And Farming Systems

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  Ester Boserup proposed that high incidence of polygyny in sub-Saharan Africa stems from sexual division of labor in hoe farming. In shifting cultivation zones, tasks split starkly between genders. Men and older boys fell trees, fence fields against wild animals, and sometimes plant crops. Women handle other aspects of cultivating, food processing, and providing meals for the family. An elderly cultivator with several wives benefits from a much larger workforce within his household. By combining efforts of young sons and young wives, he may expand cultivation and become more prosperous. A man with a single wife has less help in cultivation and likely lacks assistance felling trees. Anthropologist Jack Goody noted that women are valued both as workers and child bearers. However, women often do not receive the majority portion of benefits accompanying economic success. A 1930s study of the Mende people in Sierra Leone concluded that plurality of wives is an agricultural asset. Large numbers of women make it unnecessary to employ wage laborers. The second wife usually performs the most tiresome work, almost as if she were a servant to the first wife.

• 3. Demographic Pressures And Sex Ratios

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  Some studies of mitochondrial DNA show there have been more mothers than fathers in the genetic record of human species. This means proportion of females reproducing in each generation generally exceeds proportion of men reproducing. One 2014 study attributed these findings to widespread polygyny. Polygyny may be practiced where male-to-female ratio is lower. Male infants sometimes suffer increased mortality from infectious diseases. Natural sex ratio at birth biases slightly toward males, around 105 boys per 100 girls. Presently some countries exhibit even stronger bias favoring males due to sex-selective abortion or female infanticide. Research shows young men belonging to polygynous groups feel treated unequally compared to those in monogamous groups. They become readier to use violence. In West Africa, over one-third of women marry men with multiple wives. Studies suggest this demographic pressure contributes to higher rates of suicide terrorism and political instability in affected regions.

• 4. Psychological Toll On Women

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  Among the Logoli tribe of Kenya, fear of AIDS or HIV infection informs women's decisions about entering polygynous marriages. Some view polygyny as a way to prevent men from taking random sexual partners and introducing sexually transmitted infections into relationships. Interviews with Logoli people reveal they fear such unions because of witnessed experiences of other women. Observed experiences include frequent jealousy, conflicts, competition, tensions, and psychological stresses. Husbands often fail to share love and resources equally. Envy and hatred sometimes lead to violent physical confrontations among co-wives and their children. This discourages many women from entering polygynous marriage. Competition can intensify to unbearable levels for co-wives, causing some to commit suicide due to psychological distress. Senior wives sometimes misuse position to obtain healthcare benefits where only one wife qualifies. Conflict between co-wives attributes to higher rates of mental health disorders like anxiety, depression, somatization, psychoticism, and paranoia. Reduced marital life satisfaction and low self-esteem are more prevalent among women in polygynous relationships compared to monogamous ones.

• 5. Warfare And Political Instability

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  Research shows polygyny is widely practiced in countries that are destabilized, more violent, and likely to invade neighbors. These nations also face higher risk of catastrophic political and economic collapse. In the top twenty countries on the 2017 Fragile States Index, polygyny remains widespread. A study of 240,000 children across 29 African countries found children in polygynous families were more likely to die young after controlling for other factors. A 2019 study published in Journal of Conflict Resolution examined 800 rural African ethnic groups. It concluded young men belonging to polygynous groups feel treated unequally and readier to use violence. Anthropologist Kyle R. Gibson reviewed three studies documenting 1,208 suicide attacks from 1981 to 2007. He found countries with higher polygyny rates correlated with greater production of suicide terrorists. Political scientist Robert Pape noted 97 percent of Islamic suicide terrorists were unmarried and 84 percent male. U.S. military data from Iraq in 2008 showed suicide bombers were almost always single men aged 18 to 30 without children.

• 6. Religious Doctrines And Legal Frameworks

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  Under Islamic marital jurisprudence, Muslim men can have up to four wives at a time. Polyandry is not permitted. Verse 4:3 of Quran states if man fears he cannot deal justly with multiple women, he should marry only one. Strict requirements exist to marrying more than one woman; husband must treat them equally financially and regarding support given. Muhammad was monogamously married to Khadija for 25 years until she died. After her death, he married multiple women mostly widows for social and political reasons. He had total nine wives but not all simultaneously depending on sources. In most Muslim-majority countries, polygyny is legal though Kuwait imposes no restrictions. Practice remains illegal in Turkey, Tunisia, Albania, Kosovo, and Central Asian nations except Kazakhstan. Countries allowing polygyny typically require obtaining permission from previous wives before marrying another. Malaysia and Morocco mandate court hearings where man must justify taking additional wife. Sudan government encouraged polygyny in 2001 to increase population. Christianity generally opposes the practice through Roman Catholic Catechism paragraph 2387 stating it violates moral law. Martin Luther granted Landgrave Philip of Hesse dispensation to take second wife in December 1539 during Protestant Reformation.