It’s Time We Face Reality and Legalize Polygamy

In Nigeria today, many argue that polygamous marriages are typically sites of inequality in coercion and power. Some refer to sociological research showing a host of ills that are associated with polygamous family structures.

These claims are both true and false. It’s true that many polygamous marriages come from patriarchal systems, typically employing a “hub and spokes” model where one husband has several wives who are sometimes may not like each other for obvious reasons - they are sharing the same banana. 

These marriages are often of the husband as boss variety, and many independent woman are claiming that such models have higher rates of physical and emotional stress on them. But this is a classic case of blaming a social problem on its trappings rather than on its actual origins.

After all, traditional marriages are frequently patriarchal. Traditional marriages often feature gender and power dynamics. Indeed, many would argue that marriage’s origins stem from a desire to formalize patriarchal structures within the family in the first place. 

We’ve pursued marriage equality at the same time as we’ve pursued more feminist heterosexual marriages, out of a conviction that the franchise is worth improving, worth saving.

by Fredrik Deboer

- many ladies are getting old in their parents house or in their own house without husband all because they are waiting for one-man-one-wife. The number of women in Nigeria is more than men. Be wise!

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