Countries: D R Congo
Variables: PW-PRACTICE-3

"[T]he practice of levirate marriage is still common" (17).

Countries: Kazakhstan
Variables: PW-PRACTICE-3, PW-LAW-1

"While noting the importance attached to the family in the State party, the Committee notes with concern the following: (a) The vast majority of men support polygamy, which remains widespread despite its prohibition by law, and attempts to legalize it; (b) The high prevalence of child marriage, especially unregistered religious marriages" (p.16).

Countries: Maldives
Variables: PW-PRACTICE-3

"In this reporting period, there is clear evidence of the Magistrates Courts taking the issue of Child Allowance payments seriously, and a system has been established whereby any man owing child allowance must pay this off before being permitted to enter into another marriage contract. If the man moves to a different island to marry, the Magistrates Court of that island will contact authorities on his home island to see if there are any outstanding Child Allowance payments. Since January 2012, any person wishing to marry more than one person should earn at least Rf 15,000 (approximately USD $975). These conditions have restricted the exercise of polygamy." (35).more

Countries: Uzbekistan
Variables: PW-PRACTICE-3

"In turn, bigamy becomes the reason for frequent scandals and domestic violence in an official marriage, and for informal wives – the lack of legal guarantees in inheritance and division of property for both women and common children" (para 28).

Countries: South Africa
Variables: PW-PRACTICE-3

"More than 800 couples walked down the aisle on Easter Sunday in one of the biggest mass wedding ceremonies in South Africa since the COVID-19 pandemic. The International Pentecost Holiness Church blesses polygamous unions, which are common in some African communities, and the church says are authorised by the Bible" (Para.1-2). "Its mass nuptials take place three times a year – at Easter, in December, and also during the celebrations in September of the church's founding in 1962" (Para.3). "Ditopa, 37, said her husband's second marriage was 'fulfilling what God has created for us, fulfilling the scripture that says women will be leaning towards one man' " (Para.6).more

Countries: Russia
Variables: PW-PRACTICE-3, POLY-LAW-1

"Polygamy is illegal under Russian federal law. However, it remains permissible in traditional practice for Chechen men. In these circumstances and considering Russian Family Law does not permit the registration of an official partnership, the reassurance of the Chechen leader Mr Kadyrov that all legal norms, religious practices and local traditions had been observed in the case 17-year-old school girl and police chief are irrelevant and lead to the inevitable conclusion that the marriage in question is invalid. This in turn effectively means that the ‘wife’ has no legal rights to seek support from her ‘husband’ or to claim any joint property of the parties or to inherit after her...more

Countries: Nigeria
Variables: LO-LAW-1, IAW-PRACTICE-1, IAD-PRACTICE-1, PW-PRACTICE-3

"Under Nigerian law, if a man dies without having made a will, his estate is apportioned among his heirs by customary law, which differs by tribe and region. In Northern Nigeria Sharia law governs property distribution, while in Yoruba regions an estate is divided differently between polygamous families and monogamous families. In polygamous families the estate is divided equally between the deceased’s wives, with the children of each wife receiving an equal share. In monogamous families the estate is subject to the OriOjori method where each child of the deceased, male and female, receives an equal share. In Igbo culture, in the absence of a will, the oldest son of...more

Countries: Ghana
Variables: PW-PRACTICE-3

"One would have thought that even if Ghana was light years away from abolition of polygamy which infringes on the rights of women, the Bill would have proposed a compulsory dissolution of such marriages in court. For now such exclusive right of the court to dissolve marriages is only in respect of those under the Marriage Ordinance. If the Bill grants only the courts that power it will would take away from the hands of traditional chiefs, heads of family, elders and community leaders to dissolve polygamous marriages as they are prone to dissolve marriages without making property distribution in accordance with the proposals in the Bill" (17).more

Countries: Ethiopia
Variables: IW-PRACTICE-1, ATDW-PRACTICE-1, ATDW-LAW-1, PW-PRACTICE-3

"Women’s rights to land are sidelined despite the legal provisions that envisage joint ownership of husbands and wives. In practice, issues related to the rights of widows, divorced women and polygamous wives are ignored (8). Although the Constitution guarantees women’s rights upon dissolution of marriage, in reality the only way for widows or divorced women to secure their rights to land is to enter into marriage with one of their brothers-in-law. Indeed, if women return to their natal homes, they will not be provided for because traditional inheritance and marriage practices envisage that a woman’s right to land resides with her husband" (para 18).

Countries: Qatar
Variables: PW-PRACTICE-3, PW-LAW-1

"Men can marry up to four wives but can divorce any wife without even informing them about it" (para 3).

Countries: Cote D'Ivoire
Variables: PW-PRACTICE-3

"Polygamy is prohibited in many parts of the world but remains widespread in West African countries" (para 1). "Although polygamy has declined globally in the last decade it remains common in West Africa. It is most widely practiced in sub-Saharan Africa" (para 6-7). " 'Across regions and regardless of religious background, polygamy is common in Ivory Coast. Men have multiple wives and communities accept that. So exclusive monogamy doesn’t fit with our realities, our customs. We can’t just copy-paste legislation that was put in place in Western countries. We have to give people the option,' [MP Yacouba Sangaré] argues" (para 9). "In practice, women in polygamous unions have limited rights...more

Countries: Rwanda
Variables: LO-LAW-1, ATDW-LAW-1, IAW-LAW-1, PW-PRACTICE-3

"Although the 2006 land reform in Rwanda was designed to address gender discrimination in relation to land distribution and land rights, the reform has some weaknesses. For instance, only the rights of women who are in a marriage registered under statutory law are protected by the new land reform. 'Living in consensual unions and polygamous marriages do not confer any legal rights on women, nor do religious or traditional marriage ceremonies.'[3] However, especially in rural Rwanda, many couples are married only under traditional customary law. Across Rwanda, about one-third of marriages are not registered by the state. In case of separation or death of the spouse, this usually means that...more

Countries: Somalia
Variables: PW-PRACTICE-3

"Polygyny is on the rise in Somalia. A man does not need permission to take a second, third, or fourth wife. The grounds on taking multiple wives can vary from infertility, a woman bearing only daughters, marrying a widow, current wife is pregnant, or because this is what he feels like doing" (1).

Countries: Afghanistan
Variables: PW-PRACTICE-3

"[T]he Committee is concerned that women and girls are discriminated against in legal provisions with regard to marriage and family relations, in particular the following: (a) Article 86 of the Civil Code and article 91 of the Shia Personal Status Law, under which Sunni and Shia men may marry up to four wives at one time" (16).

Countries: Senegal
Variables: PW-PRACTICE-3

"Some men take two wives, or more, but for women, sexuality often remains hidden behind a culture of 'sutura' — a Wolof term suggestive of discretion and modesty"(para 16).