Polygyny, Women's Empowerment, and Gender Equality across Sub-Saharan Africa

Sophia Chae, University Of Montreal
Victor Agadjanian, Department of Sociology and the International Institute University of California - Los Angeles

Although the prevalence of polygyny has been declining across sub-Saharan Africa, this form of marriage remains widespread. Polygyny has been linked to poorer health and well-being among women and children, with greater gender inequalities within polygynous households often cited as an explanation. Leveraging multiple waves of data from the Demographic and Health Surveys, we examine the relationships between polygyny and women’s empowerment and marital egalitarianism and test whether these associations have changed over time. The results show that women in polygynous unions are less likely to use modern contraception, have lower decision-making power, and are more likely to condone intimate partner violence. Where data on marital relations exist, women in monogamous unions reported more egalitarian spousal relations than their counterparts in polygynous unions. These results reflect the changing nature of polygyny in the context of its declining prevalence and its implications for women’s empowerment and marital egalitarianism.