Introduction
Marriage and family are variable social phenomena; their content determines what is peculiar to them as varieties of institutions and relations in the complex interaction of social conditions with the natural-biological instinctive nature of human needs. In which a person can simultaneously have more than one marital partner. Polygamy can manifest itself in the form of polygyny and polyandry. It is essential to determine what effect it has on the institution of the family.
The Correlation between Employment and Polygamy in Africa
Polygamous family structures represent a crucial minority group with unique family resources and demands that affect work-family interactions. The paper uses the term polygamy because it is the most common type (Ogunyomi & Casper, 2021). The article indicates that polygamous family structures arise for several reasons: sharing a household for a more significant profit, emotional support, and assistance in caring for the elderly. The writers suggest that the economic principle of ‘demands-resources,’ which promotes conflict between family and work, enriches working men and women in polygamous families.
In most African institutions, informal and formal support for work-family problems is minuscule and limited. Instead, employees rely more on resources and family support, so polygamous households are more likely to have a better standard of living (Ogunyomi & Casper, 2021). The authors determined that compared to monogamous families, individuals with polygamous attitudes have higher family needs and benefit from shared domestic resources. However, it should be specified that there are financial pressures, marital conflicts, and rivalries in polygamous couples, which increase household levels and profits.
Mental Health Issues Among Women in Polygamous and Monogamous Marriages
This article will examine the relationship between polygamous and monogamous marriages and whether a particular type of family affects the prevalence of mental health problems. It is significant to mention that there is a common belief in the literature that there is a significantly higher prevalence of psychological issues in wives from polygamous marriages (Rahmanian et al., 2020). However, the review of this article did not confirm a worsening of self-esteem and life satisfaction among women in polygamous marriages. Moreover, the results indicated that wives in polygamous unions have higher satisfaction with life and higher self-esteem.
The sample of the study refers only to collective communities. Thus, it was established that women in polygamous partnerships receive more collective respect than women in monogamous marriages. The authors also determined that the morale of the polygamous family as an institution is also affected by the state of security. This is because tribal social systems control privacy, and the tribe or clan, in turn, offers help, safety, shelter, and protection (Rahmanian et al., 2020). Thus, in monogamous families, only the husband and wife are responsible for their own well-being.
In addition to positive factors, the author also singles out a negative social perspective, which can adversely affect polygamous families differently from monogamous ones. Women may have mental health problems due to gender constructs that are ingrained in the polygamous institution, such as self-sacrifice to the man and a limited right to choose (Rahmanian et al., 2020). In the article, the writers mention that in most cases, men do not consult their older spouses when accepting younger wives into the family. Such actions can lead to a sense of powerlessness and worthlessness in older women.
The Impact of Polygamy on Children’s Health and Labour
It has long been thought that polygamous marriage always leads to a decline in the well-being of families in the regions where it is practiced, a reduction in health and risks for women and children. This article is based on research by anthropologists in Mali, which has shown that polygamy can be beneficial to women and their children in some societies (Diarra et al., 2018). The paper also establishes a relationship between the order in which mothers marry and the results of their kids.
Families in such marriages have more assets and are better supplied with food, allowing women to keep themselves and their offspring healthy, raising strong and developmentally disabled children (Diarra et al., 2018). At the same time, the empirical analysis also indicates that in villages where polygamy flourishes, children attend school less, perform bad and do less housework than those from monogamous families. The data also show that the enrollment and achievement rates of children of first wives are higher than those of second and subsequent ones. Kids of first wives work more at home, but there are no significant differences regarding time working outside.
Nevertheless, these villages with polygamous families are in the most declining regions with poor ecology and agricultural problems. In other words, the difference between the villages is not due to family structure but to their location. The author emphasizes that although the practice of polygamy infringes on women’s rights and is disapproved by the UN, attempts to ban it in some local cultures and zones can primarily affect women and children themselves (Diarra et al., 2018). The rationale for improving the situation of women in such cultures is to begin by reducing inequalities, not by combating polygamy.
The Impact of Polygamy on Kids and Teenagers
The research aimed to review studies examining the effects of polygyny (a particular form of polygamy) on children and adolescents. The study found more mental health problems, social problems, and lower academic achievement in children from polygynous families than monogamous ones. Similarities between kids and adolescents from polygynous and monogamous homes included self-esteem, anxiety, and depression (Al-Sharfi et al., 2016). The research established that polygynous structures pay less attention to children’s psychological problems.
The author investigated that children from polygamous families experience more problems. For example, such as ‘mental health problems,’ obsessive-compulsive symptoms, paranoid thoughts, depressive hostility, phobic anxiety, psychoticism, acute affective disorders, externalizing problems, social difficulties, attention problems, and delinquency issues. These symptoms were associated with other variables such as family dysfunction, low family cohesion, and domestic violence. Significantly, analysis of the article suggests that the number of wives in polygamous families may be essential (Al-Sharfi et al., 2016). Juniors from households with three or four wives (but not two women) had better mental health and learning problems. However, kids and teenagers from monogamous and polygamous families (2 wives) had no anxiety, hostility, or critical learning disabilities.
At the same time, when studying the effect of polygyny on learning disorders and intelligence, there were no statistically significant deviations between children from polygynous and monogamous families. However, teenagers from two-spouse families had significantly lower intelligence scores than those from three- or four-spouse and single-spouse families. This was explained by a considerably lower level of parents’ education in this group (Al-Sharfi et al., 2016). It should be mentioned that some researchers have identified potential benefits for children in large polygynous families, such as having multiple role models.
Polygamy and Economic Performance
Economic theory contributes to the wisdom of some factors of cultural phenomena. The authors view marriage as a structure for domestic production and reproduction, valued by members of society who follow the rules of optimization (Damon & McCarthy, 2019). Individuals determine the extent of their participation in polygynous households according to endowed and acquired qualities. The hypotheses are related to the characteristics of men and women whose data was gathered in Maiduguri City.
The data obtained, along with the results of the works of other authors, suggest that polygamy, in an unfavorable ecological environment with pronounced seasonality and high rates of infectious diseases, is a necessary adaptation (Damon & McCarthy, 2019). It contributes to the selection of the healthiest and most enterprising men. The author also hypothesizes that male polygamy is associated with the economic wealth of the man and his level of education. Furthermore, polygamy positively affects population growth despite the decrease in the number of children born to one woman.
Equally significant are the economic differences between monogamy and polygamy. Monogamy increases inequality, the concentration of capital, and the emergence of a market economy (Damon & McCarthy, 2019). According to Keynesian theory, it cannot function independently without government intervention. Imbalance also impairs the quality of human capital and thus the economy’s competitiveness, forcing the state to make decisions dictated by their interests. A possible solution is to officially allow polygamy because its direct consequence is the natural fragmentation of property. If for two or three generations such a rate of reproduction is prescribed by a legal imperative, a middle class will naturally emerge in the country, which can become the basis of genuine social stability.
Conclusion
Thus, polygamous families have some features compared to monogamous ones. Such households are often more prosperous and have sufficient resources. They have a high level of support, and women feel better about themselves. At the same time, there are also disadvantages, including the worse situation of the older wives compared to the younger ones and the difference in the children’s academic performance. That is why one cannot say that polygamy has only a positive effect on the family; it has strong and weak points like all phenomena.
References
Al-Sharfi, M., Pfeffer, K., & Miller, K. A. (2016). The effects of polygamy on children and adolescents: a systematic review. Journal of family Studies, 22(3), 272-286.
Damon, A. L., & McCarthy, A. S. (2019). Partnerships and production: Agriculture and polygyny in Tanzanian households. Agricultural Economics, 50(5), 527-542. Web.
Diarra, S., Lebihan, L., & Mao Takongmo, C. O. (2018). Polygyny, Child Education, Health and Labour: Theory and Evidence from Mali. SSRN, 1-36. Web.
Ogunyomi, I. O., & Casper, W. J. (2021). The work-family interface and polygamy in Africa: A demands-resources perspective. Africa Journal of Management, 7(2), 196–215.
Rahmanian, P., Munawar, K., Mukhtar, F., & Choudhry, F. R. (2020). Prevalence of mental health problems in women in polygamous versus monogamous marriages: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Archives of women’s mental health, 24, 1-13.