(www.eni.ch/assembly/0580.html). Polygamy is not the sole preserve of African people: From its Greek origin, the word polygamy is understood in the broader sense to include any simultaneous multiple marriage unions for one person, such as female polyandry and male polygyny; however, the word polygamy is used throughout this work to describe the state of a man having more than one woman, including the religious, legal and customary aspects of these unions (Yamani, 2008:xi). 2004. Traditionally, marriage and child-bearing had a cause-and-effect order that was difficult to break (Burman 1991:36). Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. Of 1437 self-reported married women who responded to the question on polygamy, 8.3% (95% CI: 5.612) indicated that they were in a polygamous relationship. According to Gaskiyane (2000:97), the concept is defined as a culturally determined, socially acceptable and legally recognised form of permanent marriage where a man has more than one wife at a time. statement and The main point is that the women in such relationship are often unhappy with their marriage life but are limited bysocial and economic conditions in which they find themselves.
There is no marrying simply for personal fulfilment or for mutual pleasure of the spouses. The analysis may have also been affected by non-response and / or missing data. Polygamy reconsidered.African plural marriage and the Christian African Churches. [Links], Vos, P. 2010. Women were significantly more likely to be in a polygamous relationship if they were younger than 50years old, were uneducated, anddid not have enough money for basic things like food and clothes. Peil and Oyeneve (1998:35) thus claim that a marriage is considered to have ended once the woman is past child-bearing age. Ford (2007) reports that the decisive issues identified by the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians, in dialogue with the West, include violence against women, in which polygamy and male control in the regulation of sex play a role. PubMed ", Baloyi, ME. Consensus, conflict and change.Nairobi: East African Educational Publishers. Although it is difficult to say whether polygamy is increasing or decreasing, it remains a significant and widespread phenomenon (Okorie 1995:1). It is not that a woman is so generous to suggest to a man to take a second wife, no, it is her pre-emptive action to forestall the man from bringing a second wife that will contribute to disharmony and perpetual wars in the extended family. In any event, Christian marital vows include the promise of support in health and in sickness, which cannot simply be ignored in difficult times. Critical reflections on polygamy in the African Christian context. Demography. In the words of Waruta and Kinothi (2000:108): Western missionary Christianity - with its insistence on monogamy as the only acceptable form of marriage, its emphasis that marriage is primarily a matter of a man or a woman 'leaving his or her mother and father and the two becoming one flesh', its largely puritanical if not hypocritical attitude toward human sexuality, and its preference for a more individualistic lifestyle and nuclear families, has created much confusion and anxiety in contemporary African society. [Links], Hillman, CSSP.
Int Soc Work. [Links], Kyomo, AA & Selvan, SG. 1998. In South Africa, unlike in other sub-Saharan countries, no nationwide survey has investigated polygamy except for the 2002 HIV/AIDS population-based household survey. Illegitimacy and the African family in a changing South Africa. Mark KP, Janssen E, Milhausen RR. Bishop John Colenso of Natal recognised this when acknowledging that the practice of separating husbands and wives on their conversion to Christianity is in opposition to God's teaching (Hillmann 1975:32). A solution during pregnancy and nursing. Newtown Global consulting; 2017. Proportion of women in polygamous marriages in the Western Cape (WC), Eastern Cape (EC), Northern Cape (NC), Free State (FS), KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), North West (NW), Gauteng (GT), Mpumalanga (MP) and Limpopo (LP) Provinces of South Africa. Not applicable, there are no personal details on individuals reported within the manuscript. Marriage and family in African Christianity. The committee had Federal Wide Assurance (FWA) for the Protection of Human Subjects accreditation with the United States of Americas Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). [Links], Phiri, IA. Moreover, it is unconscionable that instead of supporting his wife during her time of need a man would devote his time to entertaining a new wife.
She now was considered too old for sexual encounters. [Links], Phiri, IA. Fulfilment of the desire for a male heir.
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]. Thus labour became a commodity in male-dominated societies where polygamy was customary.
[Links], Mugambi, JNK. This, however, is a clearly patriarchal view of sex which promotes male supremacy and perpetuates the gender imbalance in society. 58. Chapter 1969. Polygamy has long been the preferred form of marriage in Africa. Yet others, such as some of the African Independent Churches, accommodate polygamists and allow them full and active participation in the life of the church.
Al-Krenawi A, Graham JR. A comparison of family functioning, life and marital satisfaction, and mental health of women in polygamous and monogamous marriages. However, as Mugambi (1989:96) points out, this "common rule" did not bring an easy solution to this problem. It is not only unethical, but also extremely irresponsible to have a larger family than one can afford to support. Binghamton: Harworth Press Inc; 1999. Although Phiri (2002:37) recounts that among the Chewa people in Kenya songs are sung to the effect that she who has given birth to a baby girl is rich, while she who has given birth to a baby boy is poor, for many African families a male heir has always been the objective - hence Kimathi's (1994:12) statement that a marriage into which only girls were born is to be pitied.
2002. Daughters of Sara,Spring. It also has an impact on women's health, and has a detrimental effect on the many children that the polygamist will have (Struensee 2004). Therefore, although polygamy has been an accepted form of marriage in most African societies (Waruta and Kinoti 2000:105), engagement on this topic is still very important and relevant to the contemporary church and its people. [Links], Olukoya, DK. Unlike in other sub-Saharan countries [2,3,4], no nationwide survey has investigated polygamous relationships except for the 2002 national HIV prevalence, behavioural risks and mass mediahousehold survey. It was as a result of this difference in outlook between the missionary churches and the AICs that the latter drew more converts (who felt ill-treated by the former). In the words of Maillu (1988:1): "The colonial church in particular, has been fighting against the tradition on the basis that it is incompatible with the Bible." The man will not be available unless as a fake man, an illusion a mere physical and not mental, spiritual complete presence to the other. [Links], Townshend, PO. Although some church leaders initially rejected polygamous marriages in their churches, Wunderink (2009:1) reports that many African church leaders regret zero-tolerance policies applied to polygamous families of converts, saying that treating those marriages as invalid gives rise to a number of problems. Accept polygamy as an African tradition, WCC told. It is the duty of the church, through its leadership, to teach that marriage is indeed part of life, but that life can still be enjoyed by those who choose to remain single. Psychological symptomatology, self-esteem and life satisfactions of women from polygamous and monogamous marriages in Syria. While various religious communities and Christian churches have been debating the permissibility of granting church membership to male polygamists, other groups have argued about whether or not polygamy is a cultural mandate in South Africa. For some it is an embodiment of Old Testament practices, and therefore has no place in modern society, while others regard it as a pagan practice. It must be remembered that in earlier times in Africa, polygamy was a way of life that could be practised only by wealthy men who could afford to take care of a number of wives and a great many children (Wunderink 2009:17). Many Africans believe that it is best to train their own blood sons to take over whatever they own. 3 Official polygamy refers to a situation in which all wives are married through the customary payment of lobolo. For Landman, it is the principle of equality that matters. In this regard Wunderink (2009:18) quotes Isabel Phiri, who argues that this is an example of where missionaries with good intentions did not have a proper solution to the issue of polygamy, and in fact promoted divorce without responsibility being taken for the children. Polygamy may have negative effects and influences on womens reproductive health [7,8,9]. The survey data were collected using a multi-stage stratified cluster randomised sampling design. The African Christian view of polygamy and its effects. Hayase Y, Liaw K. Factors on polygamy in sub-Saharan Africa: findings based on the demographic and health surveys. Hillman (1975:182) argues that although some of the Reformers viewed polygamy as not being contrary to the law, Calvin insisted that monogamy was prescribed by natural law. Jenkins's (2010) observation gives us some insight into the AICs as churches that accommodated polygamists as full members. In contemporary society, any man who marries a second wife because of such problems needs to remember that, in doing so, he may well be exposing himself and the whole family to the HI virus -aside from the fact that marrying a second wife for such reasons is obviously unfair to his first wife. As Njoroge (1997) so rightly states, the unlearning of internalised sexist practices, attitudes and beliefs and patterns is one of the greatest challenges facing women. In this, I support Mbeya (1994:25), who states that any aspect of African culture which keeps women in bondage or reinforces their inferiority must be challenged. Kimathi (1994:13) explains: Menopause among many ethnic groups brought an end to the need for sexual activities. This argument is also favoured by Maillu (1988:8), who suggests that polygamy is the kindest solution in the case of a wife who is infertile, because this is preferable to being expelled from the household, and having to look for another husband. Okorie (1995:3) cites a widely African belief that levirate marriage constitutes a means of taking care of widows. Article Bishop Colenso (the English-born Methodist missionary who carried out his work during the 1800s in what is now KwaZulu-Natal) is one of those who raised eyebrows because of his tolerance of polygamy, famously recorded in his "Remarks on the proper treatment of cases of polygamy, as found already existing in converts from heathenism.".
Bove R, Valeggia C. Polygyny and womens health in sub-Saharan Africa. 2004;50(Suppl 1):84114. 2004;21:21730.
However, there is limited research and literature on the actual experiences of women in African polygamous families. While death continues to demolish life, marriage and childbearing keep ahead of it all the time." [Links], Nhlapo, TR. Article Pop Stud. African women doing theology. Although the Recognition of Customary Marriages Act 120 of 1988 extends the state's recognition and regulation to both monogamous and polygamous customary marriages, the bill of rights by extension entrenches the rights of women in polygamous marriages not to be discriminated against (Vos 2010). Shahzad (2009) states that polygamy is as old as human society, and cites David and Solomon as just two among many examples. The primary outcome variable is polygamy based on the question does your husband have other wives (yes=1 and n=0). Google Scholar. The aim of this study was to profile socio-demographic and behavioural characteristics associated with women in polygamous relationship using the 2002 national survey data. 1994. 1997;3:293327. Although this may have reflected the views of many, numerous divergent arguments have been put forward by African scholars and missionaries: while Bishop Josiah Kibira of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania acknowledged the difficulties presented by polygamy and called for theological study, the Anglican church in West Africa allowed the wives of polygamists to be baptised -although the same church in South Africa and elsewhere refused to admit them even to the catechumenate without the authorisation of the bishop. (www.theoledafrica.org) Last visited on 01-08-2012. African polygamy: past and present.In Modern and comparative economy seminar, 3 November 2011, London School of Economic and Political Science. As far as the issue of infertility is concerned, it seems that, in African culture, it is the woman who is usually suspected of being infertile, even if medical tests have not been conducted. Kyomo and Selvan make the same point: "One reason for polygamy seems to be the old taboo of menopause. Male children are valued, especially in many patrilineal African societies.". It is therefore the intention of this article to explore the African traditional reasons for men marrying more than one wife, and to examine the Christian view of this practice. The findings also showed that women in polygamous relationships were more likely to have that multiple sexual partners. If health-related problems are encountered if the husband and wife engage in sexual relations during pregnancy and nursing, the best advice one can give them is to consult their family doctor. Available evidence suggest that women in polygamous marriages generally experience varying degrees of emotional difficulties such as anger, jealousy, loneliness, unhappiness, emptinessand feeling of neglet [1, 5, 6].
Saint Augustine and Saint Thomas Aquinas taught that simultaneous polygamy is not in itself evil, since it was permitted by God in the Old Testament (Hillmann 1975:179); they viewed it as being contrary neither to the law of nature nor to the nature of the Bible. [Links], Gold, J. Christianity Today,July: 17-18. 2014;5(Suppl 7):105866. The meaning of polygamy and its historical roots. Counselling singles. To my mind, the important question is whether or not polygamy encourages the abusive treatment of women. Phiri (2002:25) notes the belief among Africans that being single is a curse; Kathide (2007:40) articulates the similar view that since it is a disgrace to be unmarried, polygamy offers every woman a chance to be married and thus fit in with the norms of society.
Mbiti (1969:105) conveys the importance of childbearing in African marriages, stating: "Marriage and childbearing are the medicines against death. Among some African people it has long been accepted that women may no longer engage in sexual activities once they have entered menopause. Figure1 shows that polygamous marriages were common in Mpumalanga (19.7%), Limpopo (51.1%) and KwaZulu-Natal provinces (13.8%). A woman with married daughters and sons was regarded as somebody who had finished her sexual role in marriage. This is in line with evidence which suggests that mostly older males engage in polygamy rather than younger men [14]. The Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians considered polygamy to be not only patriarchal, but a further form of violence against women. Is polygamy unconstitutional? 2011. The belief that every woman must have a husband and every man a wife has created a situation where a woman would prefer to be one of several wives rather than be without a husband, as the latter situation would make her a social outcast (Gaskiyane 2000:17). & Simbayi, L.C. Al-Krenawi A, Kanat-Maymon Y. The retrospective nature of the analysis is reflective rather than prospective. 2007 Polygamy as a pre-requisite for church membership? 1989. Kahiga (2007:120) is of the opinion that while polygamy was formalised in Africa, it has taken the form of anonymous polygamy, with partners or concubines incognito in different locations. He can be contacted at baloye@unisa.ac.za. Contemporary studies on polygamy are needed in South Africa. 2 ME Baloyi teaches Practical Theology in the Department of Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology at the University of South Africa. Phiri (2007:75) draws attention to the abuse and violation suffered by women when missionaries from the Roman Catholic and the Dutch Reformed Church in Malawi insisted that polygamists divorce their wives to remain with one upon conversion and baptism; many deserted women were left with the crippling economic burden of caring for their children and household. As Chapman (1986:28) points out: Sharing is not for every woman, but every woman needs to open her eyes so that she can recognize when she is sharing her man with someone else. HAST, Human Sciences Research Council, The Atrium, 5th Floor, 430 Peter Mokaba Street, Berea, Durban, South Africa, Office of the Deputy CEO for Research, Human Sciences Research Council, 116 118 Merchant House Building, Buitengracht Street, Cape Town, 8001, South Africa, Nthabiseng F. Malope&Leickness C. Simbayi, Department of Psychiatry & Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa, You can also search for this author in Polygamy is a social phenomenon that has existed for millennia and continues to transform itself in sub-Saharan. 2000.
With reference to the often-cited polygamy of the President Zuma, one of the most important issues is that of leading by example. [Links], Kofon, NE. African churches seek a better response than in the years past. She acknowledges that polygamy is not condemned in the Bible, and argues that whatever the context of polygamy, the most important consideration is whether the participants in the relationship treat one another equally, and in that way follow the example set by Jesus. [Links], Masenya, M. 2005. In the words of Baloyi (2010:3): There are people who get married not necessarily because they want to, but because they feel the pressure of being single. J Soc Pers Rels. Phiri (2006:6) suggests that polygamous and levirate marriages can be traced to the fact that the biblical stories were told, written and interpreted in a male-dominated society. While legal in South Africa, polygamy is losing popularity with the younger generation in the continent, while it is still practiced in some cultures. Without their participation we would never been able to undertake this first national, household survey of HIV/AIDS in 2002. In other words, the first wife is faced with a choice either to choose an acceptable second wife or to leave this entirely up to her husband. 2001. Is infidelity a cause or a consequence of poor marital quality? 2008. NFM interpretation of data and drafted the manuscript. [Links], Blum, WGB. Although non-significant it was also common among women who were Black African (10.7%), unemployed (8.9%) and who resided in tribal (13.2%), urban informal (12.0%) and rural formal (11.9%) areas.