Does polygamy have a future?
Jan 28, 2004
Should polygamy be banned, regulated, allowed to die a natural death through societal evolution or be encouraged as a cornerstone of African identity?â€
Title: Polygamy, Gender, and Human Rights: A Case Study of Polygamy among the Basoga
Author: Dr. Lillian Tibatemwa Ekirikubinza
Available at: Centre for Basic Research
Reviewed by: Chibita Wa Dualo
Should polygamy be banned, regulated, allowed to die a natural death through societal evolution or be encouraged as a cornerstone of African identity?â€
This is one of the many questions that Dr. Lillian Tibatemwa Ekirikubinza sets out to answer in her 14-chapter publication
Coming as it does on the heels of the debate of the Domestic Relations Bill, the publication should offer an informed insight into the debate. Indeed one of the most enlightening chapters is one on justification for polygamy
One of the theories is that polygamy offers sexual relief to women given that it is often argued that men’s sexual needs are stronger than women’s. Some of the women interviewed agreed that an older wife might need relief.
Some even go as far as courting their relatives for their husbands as co-wives. One woman in her 40s, argued that she was still strong enough to satisfy her husband’s needs.
Yet only one man interviewed cited sexual needs as a reason for polygamy. The issue of having children features prominently on the list of justifications for polygamy.
Both men and women interviewed equally agree that this is a major cause of polygamy. The only voice of dissent came from children of polygamous marriages. They preferred monogamous homes to polygamous ones because of problems caused by many mothers as well as many children.
Only one in 10 children was reported to have argued that their father treated all the children impartially. All the children agreed that the wives were never treated equally in a polygamous setting.
The children also reported the presence of mistrust and conflict between the wives on the one hand, and the children on the other. This was a result of competing for the father’s love and resources, which many times culminated into quarrels and in witchcraft.
As a result, the children viewed any reprimand from their father with a lot of suspicion. In most cases, this attempted reprimand would be interpreted as evidence of being influenced by the stepmother.
The majority of women, both first and subsequent, cited sharing domestic chores as an advantage in polygamy. It was contended that where one wife is sick or on safari, there is an assurance that the co-wife manages the home. In another instance, the woman claimed that since they were living in town and the husband needed to develop the village home, he had to get another wife to station there.
“Women are better wives in polygamy. There is some kind of competition between them – each wanting to do better than the other in order to win the husband’s love. This way, the husband receives better services and care from the wives,†says one Sansa on the advantages of polygamy
One of the other arguments in defence of polygamy is that it helps in the accumulation of wealth by providing abundant cheap labour. The research found out that a number of men engaged in polygamy did not even have enough land for subsistence farming.
Many of the polygamists in fact were found to live in grass-thatched houses because they could not afford corrugated iron sheets. Many women in polygamy attributed their economic hardships on the coming of a subsequent wife.
One woman narrated how her husband used to cater of all her economic needs until the coming of the second wife when all assistance to her and her children stopped. The view from polygamous men is however different. As the author points out, it would seem that the alleged advantages of polygamy are often more psychological than factual.
She gives the example of one man who claimed that one of the advantages of polygamy was that when you have more than one wife they all fight to please you. They for example, allegedly fight to wash his clothes. Ironically, the same man was putting on a noticeably very dirty shirt!
In conclusion, Dr. Ekirikubinza argues that it is obvious that polygamy has a functional value for men. Through polygamy they treat women as means to their own ends such as progeny, “immortalityâ€, wealth, social status and sexual gratification.
It is thus not accidental that a review of debates on the value of polygamy indicates that the justifications for the practice are limited to options availed to husbands. The present research also confirms that polygamy is almost exclusively in the interests of men.
She further argues that since the consequences of polygamy clearly violate several entitlements universally accepted as human rights, polygamy is a human rights issue. It therefore follows that the practice has no place on the Statute Books of a nation, which acknowledges that women’s rights are human rights.
The question to ask about the study is whether it has national application. In other words, do the views of Busoga region amply represent the rest of Uganda? Or, do we need another study done in another part of the country before drawing a safe conclusion?
The other point worth noting is the continued divide along gender lines over the issue of polygamy. It would seem that polygamy will only cease to exist if men are enlisted in the struggle. Otherwise, as long as it is mostly women who champion the cause against polygamy, the impact on society may continue to be limited.
The publication is, otherwise, an excellent piece of research that is easy to read, is informative and quite entertaining.
Author: Dr. Lillian Tibatemwa Ekirikubinza
Available at: Centre for Basic Research
Reviewed by: Chibita Wa Dualo
Should polygamy be banned, regulated, allowed to die a natural death through societal evolution or be encouraged as a cornerstone of African identity?â€
This is one of the many questions that Dr. Lillian Tibatemwa Ekirikubinza sets out to answer in her 14-chapter publication
Coming as it does on the heels of the debate of the Domestic Relations Bill, the publication should offer an informed insight into the debate. Indeed one of the most enlightening chapters is one on justification for polygamy
One of the theories is that polygamy offers sexual relief to women given that it is often argued that men’s sexual needs are stronger than women’s. Some of the women interviewed agreed that an older wife might need relief.
Some even go as far as courting their relatives for their husbands as co-wives. One woman in her 40s, argued that she was still strong enough to satisfy her husband’s needs.
Yet only one man interviewed cited sexual needs as a reason for polygamy. The issue of having children features prominently on the list of justifications for polygamy.
Both men and women interviewed equally agree that this is a major cause of polygamy. The only voice of dissent came from children of polygamous marriages. They preferred monogamous homes to polygamous ones because of problems caused by many mothers as well as many children.
Only one in 10 children was reported to have argued that their father treated all the children impartially. All the children agreed that the wives were never treated equally in a polygamous setting.
The children also reported the presence of mistrust and conflict between the wives on the one hand, and the children on the other. This was a result of competing for the father’s love and resources, which many times culminated into quarrels and in witchcraft.
As a result, the children viewed any reprimand from their father with a lot of suspicion. In most cases, this attempted reprimand would be interpreted as evidence of being influenced by the stepmother.
The majority of women, both first and subsequent, cited sharing domestic chores as an advantage in polygamy. It was contended that where one wife is sick or on safari, there is an assurance that the co-wife manages the home. In another instance, the woman claimed that since they were living in town and the husband needed to develop the village home, he had to get another wife to station there.
“Women are better wives in polygamy. There is some kind of competition between them – each wanting to do better than the other in order to win the husband’s love. This way, the husband receives better services and care from the wives,†says one Sansa on the advantages of polygamy
One of the other arguments in defence of polygamy is that it helps in the accumulation of wealth by providing abundant cheap labour. The research found out that a number of men engaged in polygamy did not even have enough land for subsistence farming.
Many of the polygamists in fact were found to live in grass-thatched houses because they could not afford corrugated iron sheets. Many women in polygamy attributed their economic hardships on the coming of a subsequent wife.
One woman narrated how her husband used to cater of all her economic needs until the coming of the second wife when all assistance to her and her children stopped. The view from polygamous men is however different. As the author points out, it would seem that the alleged advantages of polygamy are often more psychological than factual.
She gives the example of one man who claimed that one of the advantages of polygamy was that when you have more than one wife they all fight to please you. They for example, allegedly fight to wash his clothes. Ironically, the same man was putting on a noticeably very dirty shirt!
In conclusion, Dr. Ekirikubinza argues that it is obvious that polygamy has a functional value for men. Through polygamy they treat women as means to their own ends such as progeny, “immortalityâ€, wealth, social status and sexual gratification.
It is thus not accidental that a review of debates on the value of polygamy indicates that the justifications for the practice are limited to options availed to husbands. The present research also confirms that polygamy is almost exclusively in the interests of men.
She further argues that since the consequences of polygamy clearly violate several entitlements universally accepted as human rights, polygamy is a human rights issue. It therefore follows that the practice has no place on the Statute Books of a nation, which acknowledges that women’s rights are human rights.
The question to ask about the study is whether it has national application. In other words, do the views of Busoga region amply represent the rest of Uganda? Or, do we need another study done in another part of the country before drawing a safe conclusion?
The other point worth noting is the continued divide along gender lines over the issue of polygamy. It would seem that polygamy will only cease to exist if men are enlisted in the struggle. Otherwise, as long as it is mostly women who champion the cause against polygamy, the impact on society may continue to be limited.
The publication is, otherwise, an excellent piece of research that is easy to read, is informative and quite entertaining.