Editing Polygyny (section)

===Africa===
====Kenya====

Polygynous marriage was preferred among the Logoli and other [[Abalulya]] sub ethnic groups. Taking additional wives was regarded as one of the fundamental indicators of a successfully established man. Large families enhanced the prestige of Logoli men. Logoli men with large families were also capable of obtaining justice, as they would be feared by people, who would not dare to use force to take their livestock or other goods from them. Interviews with some of the contemporary Logoli men and women who recently made polygynous marriages yielded data which suggest that marrying another wife is usually approached with considerable thought and deliberation by the man. It may or may not involve or require the consent of the other wives and prospective wife's parents. A type of "[[surrogate pregnancy]]" arrangement was reported to have been observed, in which some wives who are unable to bear children, find fulfillment in the children and family provided by a husband taking additional wives.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Laban Moogi Gwako|first=Edwins|title=Polygyny among the Logoli of Western Kenya|journal=Anthropos|volume=93|issue=4/6|pages=331–348|quote="... encouraged their husbands to marry other wives so that they may engage themselves and bestow their affection upon the co-wives' children."|jstor=40464835|date=1998}}</ref> Some of the men indicated that they were pressured by their parents to marry another wife, who could contribute additional income to the family. Some of the young polygynous men indicated that they were trapped in polygyny because of the large number of single women who needed and were willing to take them as husbands although they were already married. Most of those second and third wives were older women who had not yet married.<ref name="Gwako, Edwins Laban 1998"/>

====Nigeria====

Customary law, one of the three legal systems in operation in Nigeria (the other two being Nigerian common law and [[Sharia]] law) allows for one man to legally marry more than one woman.

Unlike those marriages recognized by Sharia, there is no limit to the number of legal wives allowed under customary law. Currently polygyny is most common within [[Royal family|royal]] and [[Nobility|noble]] families within the country, and is largely practiced by the tribes native to its north and west. Although far less popular there, it is nonetheless also legal in Nigeria's east and south.

Polygyny varies according to a woman's age, religion and educational experience. Research conducted in the city of Ibadan, the second largest city in Nigeria, shows that non-educated women are significantly more likely (58%) to be in a polygynous union compared to college educated women (4%).<ref name=":4" /> Followers of traditional African religions are expected to have as many wives as they can afford. Muslim men are allowed up to 4 wives and only if they can be provided for and treated equally. Christians are typically (and expected to be) monogamous.<ref name=":4" />

Among the Ngwa group in Eastern Nigeria, studies show that 70% of polygynous marriages consist of illiterate men and women, compared to 53% in monogamous marriages.<ref name=":4" />

==== Malawi ====
While polygynous marriages are not legally recognized under the civil marriage laws of Malawi, customary law affords a generous amount of benefits to polygynous unions, ranging from inheritance rights to child custody.<ref name="sigi">{{Cite news|title=Figures 18 and 2.10. Social institutions and gender index (SIGI)|doi = 10.1787/888933163273}}</ref> It has been estimated that nearly one in five women in Malawi live in polygynous relationships.<ref name="sigi" />

Efforts to abolish the practice and de facto recognition of polygyny have been widely apparent throughout the recent years in Malawi; led mainly by anti-AIDS organizations and feminist groups. An effort led in 2008 to outlaw polygyny in the country was fiercely opposed by Islamic religious leaders, citing the practice as a cultural, religious and pragmatic reality of the nation.<ref>{{Citation|last=Lamloum|first=Olfa|title=Islamonline. Jeux et enjeux d'un média " post-islamiste " déterritorialisé|date=2010|work=Médias et islamisme|pages=45–62|publisher=Presses de l'Ifpo|isbn=978-2-35159-172-7|doi=10.4000/books.ifpo.1369}}</ref>

==== South Africa ====
{{Main|Polygamy in South Africa}}
Polygynous marriages are legal under certain circumstances in South Africa. All polygynous marriages entered into in accordance with the provisions of the [[Recognition of Customary Marriages Act]] are legal. Polygyny in South Africa is practiced among the indigenous Bantu ethnic groups of South Africa, and also within the Muslim community. Although it was widespread in ancient times, it is now only common amongst richer men and men of status, such as chiefs and kings, including the former President of the Republic of South Africa, [[Jacob Zuma]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-04-14|title=What's next for Zuma's wives?|url=https://citizen.co.za/lifestyle/entertainment/2473447/whats-next-for-zumas-wives/|access-date=2021-07-28|website=The Citizen|language=en}}</ref> Polygynous marriages of individuals over the age of 15 accounts for approximately 30,000 (0.1%) people in 2001. Both Islamic law and cultural family laws create a system in which Muslim men are encouraged to take up to four wives. Several factors for this include infertility or long-term illness of the first wife, excessive wealth on the part of the husband enabling him to support widowed or divorced mothers, and the economic benefits of large families.<ref name=":8">{{Cite journal|last=Moosa|first=N|date=2009-09-24|title=Polygynous Muslim Marriages in South Africa: Their Potential Impact on the Incidence of HIV/AIDS|journal=Potchefstroom Electronic Law Journal/Potchefstroomse Elektroniese Regsblad|volume=12|issue=3|doi=10.4314/pelj.v12i3.46271 |doi-access=free|hdl=10394/3641|hdl-access=free}}</ref>

Despite the historical and cultural history of polygyny among Muslim South Africans, polygynous unions are officially illegal on the national level in South Africa. After 1994, various laws such as the freedom of religion in the South African Constitution, the ratification of the UN's Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and a proposed Draft Bill on Muslim Marriages have tackled the issue of Islamic polygynous unions in South Africa.<ref name=":8" />

==== Somalia ====
Polygyny is legal in Somalia and most commonly seen throughout Muslim communities. According to the Muslim tradition, men can have up to four wives. For a man to gain additional wives in Somalia, it must be granted by the court and it has to be proven that the first wife is either imprisoned or infertile.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2007-03/2007-03-12-voa14.cfm|title=Acceptance of Polygamy Slowly Changes in Muslim Africa|date=12 March 2007|work=Voice of America|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090507024715/http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2007-03/2007-03-12-voa14.cfm|access-date=18 November 2019|archive-date=2009-05-07}}</ref>

==== Mozambique ====
{{Further|Polygamy in Mozambique}}
'''[[Mozambique]]''' prohibits legal recognition of [[polygamous unions]], yet there are no legal restrictions against the practice itself, which has been reported to be quite widespread in the coastal country.<ref name=Reuters>{{cite web |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mozambique-widows-polygamy-idUSKCN0ZL0T6 |title=Widows without sons in Mozambique accused of sorcery and robbed of land |last=Mwareya |first=Ray |date=5 July 2016 |website=Reuters |publisher= |access-date=30 December 2016 |quote=Although polygamy is prohibited in Mozambique there is no punishment. Across the country nearly a third of married women are thought to be in polygamous marriages, according to a NORAD survey.}}</ref> As of 2019, it was estimated that about nearly 20% of married women aged 15–49 are in polygynous unions.<ref name="Jansen & Agadjanian 2020">{{cite journal |last1=Jansen |first1=Natalie |last2=Agadjanian |first2=Victor |title=Polygyny and Intimate Partner Violence in Mozambique |journal=Journal of Family Issues |date=March 2020 |volume=41 |issue=3 |pages=338–358 |doi=10.1177/0192513x19876075 |pmid=33518874 |pmc=7845931 }}</ref>