The Mystery of Polygamy

Polygamous marriage is a situation where one man is able to have more than one wife. This is legal in the majority of Africa and Southern Asia, and is most common within the Muslim community. Here in Tolon, Ghana, the Muslim population dominates at 90%, with the commonality of polygamy following the trend set across northern Ghana consisting of 29% of all marriages (News.bbc.co.uk, 2016). To put this into perspective, many of our host families consist of multiple wives, along with many of the Ghanaian volunteers coming from multiple wife families. Therefore the idea of polygamy is a deep-rooted tradition that is necessary to understand when living/working within Ghana. Granted polygamous marriage is most common in the North of Ghana, and you may ask if it really applies to the capital of Accra, which is in the south. From our discussions as a group we realised that understanding the reasons why many people choose to be in polygamous marriages breaks down cultural boundaries and opens ones mind to alternative ways of thinking.

The UK volunteers first learnt of the presence of polygamous marriage in Tolon at the pre-training in York. Shock, surprise and unfamiliarity were the initial reactions of the UK volunteers. However upon meeting and talking to the Ghanian volunteers, the reasons for having multiple wives became much clearer and understandable. So we've decided to give you a summary of our debates and the arguments for and against polygamous marriage here in Ghana.

We'll start with the reasons for polygamous marriage. The main reason seemed to be that multiple wives mean more children, which are seen as blessings from God according to Islamic perspective. The husband in particular gains increased respect within the community the more children he has. Having multiple wives is also strongly supported within the Islamic faith, and the population of Tolon is in general very religious. We spoke to the sub-chief of Tolon, Mr Suleman Mohammed (who is also a host parent), who said, "having two wives is better than having one wife because of our religion, provided you can take care of them. Two heads are better than one."

Mr Suleman Mohammed (Tolon sub-chief)

The nature of polygamous marriage also provides a large support network, which is essential in the instance of death in the family and ensures there are many people to cater for the family. As the average life expectancy in Ghana is 61, a large support network is crucial in securing the family, especially if the breadwinner of the family dies. Another relevant argument for polygamous marriage in Ghana is that many wives ensures that there is constant childcare and home keeping. Here in northern Ghana agriculture is the dominant form of income, so a larger family means there are more hands to tend to the farm. Another issue that polygamous marriage appears to solve is that if the first wife is infertile, the husband can still have children if he marries another wife. Some agree with the notion that this leads to decreased divorce rates and even less adultery carried out by the husband, as other women are married into the family as opposed to being kept hidden from the first wife.

On the other hand we also came up with many reasons against polygamous marriage in Ghana. Let's start with the widely agreed point that if there are lots of children, the parents might not be able to afford to educate all of them. There is also the view that multiple wives prevents women's empowerment and equality in the marriage, as the first wife might not have enough power in the  relationship to object to their husband marrying again. In terms of other faiths, polygamous marriage goes against Christianity, as the bible refers to marriage as being a unification of one man and one woman. The practicalities of polygamy become a real issue if for example the family wanted to move abroad, as many countries do not legally accept multiple wives and therefore the likelihood of all wives gaining a visa may prove difficult (House of Commons library research, 2016). Another interesting point raised was that adoption in Ghana is considered as less of an option in the case of infertility compared to countries where polygamy is not legal. Our final point against polygamy is that not all wives are treated/respected the same and jealousy is a very real occurrence, which is also supported by a BBC article which explores the opinion of women in multiple wife marriages (News.bbc.co.uk, 2016). This can lead to tension in the household and result in broken homes and divorce. This point was reinforced by Memunatu, a member of one of the Tolon Income Generating Groups. She stated to us that "having one wife is better than having two wives because it sometimes brings conflict into the house between the two wives".

Memunatu, an income generating group member

So to conclude this insight into the pros and cons of polygamy, it is important to note that the perspectives outlined above are based on personal opinion and are not facts, therefore we welcome you to think about what you think about polygamy now you have a more informed view on the matter. Whilst this is a sensitive topic, we believe it has broadened our minds to discuss our views openly. With respect to our project communities, our new found awareness of polygamy has enabled us to understand more thoroughly the dynamics and cultural norms of our group members. This will hopefully ensure that we are improving the income generating groups/cooperatives with the sensitivity required to take into account there way of life. Whether we agree with polygamy or not, this way of life is obviously working for many families here in Ghana, and has done for centuries.

By Charlotte Price and Madina Fusheini Nambe

References

•   House of Commons, (2016). Research Briefing- Polygamy. pp.2-13.

•   News.bbc.co.uk. (2016). BBC NEWS | Africa | Relationship trends: Ghana experience. [online] Available at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5188680.stm [Accessed 4 Aug. 2016].