Polygamy in Mali: Social and Economic Implications on Families

Abstract

The culture and legislation of Mali supports a man to marry more than one wife. The statistical data of 2015 reveals that 41.8% of married women between 12 -60 years old were in polygamous union and 26.7% of married men between 12 and 60 years old had 2 or more than 2 wives. This kind of marital life has caused a series of social and economic problems, most especially in polygamous homes. There have also been a lot of associated problems affecting people from polygamous families such as jealousy, misogyny, aggression, bitterness, invidiousness, denigration and bewitching. The current study is an attempt to analyze the social and economic effects of polygamy on the society of Mali. The study utilizes individual panel data for data analysis.

Keywords: Polygamy;Matrimony;Family, Household;Social problems