Though a rarity in most places, polygamy is pervasive in a batch of countries situated in West and Central Africa, including Burkino Faso (36 percent), Mali (34 percent), and Nigeria (38 percent). Economist James Fenske in a 2011 paper discussing polygamy in Africa provides some shocking statistics: “Of the nearly half a million women included in the data for this study, roughly 40% who first married in 1970 share their husband today, while for women who married in 2005, that number is closer to 15%.” A crucial observation is that the percentage of women in polygamous relationships has declined; however, at 15 percent this figure is still relatively high.

As such the persistence of polygamy in Africa has attracted the attention of economists who argue that polygamy is negatively associated with development. Michèle Tertilt (2003) observes that sub-Saharan African countries where polygyny is widespread are the poorest countries in the world, with their per capita gross domestic product (GDP) being 25 percent lower than those of other countries in the region and a mere 40 percent of the GDP of other monogamous countries located in the same latitude range. The explanation is that in such societies purchasing wives is indicative of high status and moreover the families of women gain financially when their suitors pay the bride-price. Hence reliance on the bride-price as a business strategy crowds out investment.

Because under monogamous arrangements men are unlikely to pursue multiple women, they can divert more resources to productive investments, thereby boosting capital formation and economic growth. The findings of Tertilt confirm this observation: “Enforcing monogamy reduces fertility by 40%, increases savings by 35%, and raises output per person by 140%. This suggests that although the practice of polygyny is certainly not the sole cause of poverty it might be an important contributing factor for the continuing underdevelopment of Sub-Saharan Africa.”

Another pathway by which polygamy inhibits development is the cost of childrearing. Analyses show that 20.3 percent of GDP is expended on producing children in the polygamous economy, whereas only 3.5 percent of resources are devoted to childrearing in the monogamous economy. Families are usually larger in polygamous societies, so raising children is a more expensive endeavor. Some scholars also posit that polygamy can result in resource dilution considering that a greater number of adults and children are being supported on a limited budget.

Research reveals that in sub-Saharan Africa children in polygamous families are 24.4 times more likely to die when compared with children in monogamous families. Similarly, a study comparing the outcomes of children in polygamous families in Mali to their peers in monogamous families found that children in polygamous families are less likely to be enrolled in school. Furthermore, in Tanzania polygamy is a risk factor for poor nutritional status among children even when controlling for household wealth.

Perhaps a major reason for the diminished nutritional status of children in polygamous families is status inequality. First wives of polygamous husbands enjoy an elevated status and their children have access to better nutrition and are usually taller. Closer analysis of polygamy indicates that its impact on growth operates via several channels. Health is associated with productivity; therefore, the subpar nutritional status of children raised in polygamous families suggests that this is a possible channel by which polygamy impedes growth.

Secondly, polygamy has the potential to increase intrahousehold conflict. In numerous African languages, the term cowife is equivalent to jealousy. Intense competition among cowives can create a ripple effect by inducing greater sibling rivalry and stress. Joseph Henrich, Robert Boyd, and Peter J. Richerson present a wealth of information articulating the propensity of polygamous unions for conflict: “From anthropology, a review of ethnographic data from 69 non-sororal polygynous societies from around the globe reveals no case where co-wife relations could be described as harmonious, and no hint that women’s access to the means of production had any mitigating impact on conflict.”

Unsurprisingly, a 2015 review found more mental health problems, social problems, and lower academic achievement for children and adolescents from polygamous than monogamous families. Social problems resulting from polygamy reflect deadweight costs. Resources spent to correct social ills or improve the academic performance of students could have been deployed elsewhere. Due to the prominence of polygamy in Africa, there is a possibility that its negative effects are magnified on the continent.

Indeed, using the economic approach pioneered by Tertilt, Africa will be better off without polygamy. However, ceasing polygamy must be the decision of Africans. Only Africans can decide if the pleasure derived from polygamy is worth the cost of lower economic growth.

https://mises.org/wire/polygamy-problem-economic-development

Click the link above to access the hyperlinks to all the sources cited.

Front page: Lalasticlala Mynd44

The writer is mad.

UAE, Saudi, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, e.t.c. practice polygamy, they are all successful nations. Even the writers has many brothers slaving in the Arab nations and sisters prostituting there. Polygamy kee you there.

Lol it seems nairalanders who said polygamy leads to poverty in northern Nigeria were correct. They didn't need a study to but empirical data is always great to have. This study should be conducted by Nigerian universities aswell. I'm pretty sure productivity and wealth is higher among Muslims who choose monogamous relationships on average.

Corporate2020:
The writer is mad.

UAE, Saudi, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, e.t.c. practice polygamy, they are all successful nations. Even the writers has many brothers slaving in the Arab nations and sisters prostituting there. Polygamy kee you there.

aremuforlife:
Another data and thread to discredit polygamy and exonerate a society of man to man and woman to woman.
Same way they demonized our religion, just to exonerate theirs.

Lol why are guys mad when ever someone brings data against your world view. If you read the first paragraph you would know even though its allowed in alot of nations its mostly concentrated in few. Even among muslume countries its not that common according to pew research.

Do you really think the libertarians at the mises institute care what consenting adults do? The author even said its up to African to decide if the benefits of polygamy are worth the cost.

Many of the countries that permit polygamy have Muslim majorities, and the practice is rare in many of them. Fewer than 1% of Muslim men live with more than one spouse in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iran and Egypt – all countries where the practice is legal at least for Muslims. Polygamy is also legal in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and other neighboring

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/12/07/polygamy-is-rare-around-the-world-and-mostly-confined-to-a-few-regions/

Front page: Lalasticlala Mynd44

Boko Haram and the Bandits are eminent Polygamy Products

Managing one woman na war not to talk of going into polygamy

There are always neglection of responsibilities

Corporate2020:
The writer is mad.

UAE, Saudi, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, e.t.c. practice polygamy, they are all successful nations. Even the writers has many brothers slaving in the Arab nations and sisters prostituting there. Polygamy kee you there.

People that Europeans accidentally found oil. None of these countries have a population above that of Edo state as well

Better a polygamous society than a society filled with born bastards. While it is a crime for a man to marry another wife from the millions of women who cant get husband ( New York alone has atleast 10M more women than men), it is acceptable to beget bastards with them. And there's no limit to number of bastards you beget, the bastards and their single mothers, won't be the fathers responsibility, but that of tax payers, until adult hood.

While you fancy such society, their way of life is not based on moral or economic factor as you insinuate, it's just an European culture influence. Unlike in China, western countries do not have limit to the number of bastards a woman or man could beget, infact the govt encourages it.

If polygamy is a factor for poverty, then All countries where polygamy is practiced would be dirt poor. I think you are beating the wrong bush. Good leadership and corruption is our problem, not polygamy.

Another data and thread to discredit polygamy and exonerate a society of man to man and woman to woman.
Same way they demonized our religion, just to exonerate theirs.

Ok

Polygamous is as old practices and well managed and use as absolute advantage by men in the past in various sector of the economy viable.but this days tell me what the new generation are putting to use,even a monogamous is finding difficult to cater for his family

Polygamy and underage marriage of children is the root cause of Almajiri crisis in the north. You see extremely poor northerners with multiple children from various wives.

Those Almajiri children have finally grown up and become easy recruits for bandits and boko haram.

What is the difference between polygamy and serial monogamy as practised by people like Pastor Okotie and FFK?
Who are those donating sperm for single mothers and pretending to be practicing monogamy.

Detuner:


While you fancy such society, their way of life is not based on moral or economic factor as you insinuate, it's just an European culture influence. Unlike in China, western countries do not have limit to the number of bastards a woman or man could beget, infact the govt encourages it.

If polygamy is a factor for poverty, then All countries where polygamy is practiced would be dirt poor. I think you are beating the wrong bush. Good leadership and corruption is our problem, not polygamy.

omoalaro:
What is the difference between polygamy and serial monogamy as practised by people like Pastor Okotie and FFK?
Who are those donating sperm for single mothers and pretending to be practicing monogamy.

Lol so you're arguing Monogamy > Polygamy > out of wedlock relationships in an economic sense. That's pretty true when u see the societal issues and economic effects of each when u compare it to each other. Polygamy is factor in poverty not the sole factor. You can also look at the prevalence by country. Even when comparing people in the same nation you see similar results.

Again why are you guys sensitive to empirical data? Its like you guys skip past the last paragraph to defend your lifestyle.

Population is none of Africans problem but unproductive and Greediness of our societies. At least China is high in population yet in higher rank of better country in the world.

adekolaelect:
Population is none of Africans problem but unproductive and Greediness of our societies.

Population is still a problem...
what's worse than unproductive and greedy people?
Unproductive and greedy people in large numbers.

horsepower102:
Polygamy and underage marriage of children is the root cause of Almajiri crisis in the north. You see extremely poor northerners with multiple children from various wives.

I think that has more to do with the cultures weird version of Islam. The Almajiri crisis is a west African phenomenon that isn't replicated in other Islamic nations. Those ones have the common sense to send their kids to school or hiring a tutor to learn Islam instead of turning them in dirty beggars.

Polygamy and poverty are siemese twins

This is the greatest lie ever told.
What is "economic development"?
What type of economy survives in black swan situations?
What are the economic impacts of sexual immorality, divorce and broken homes?
Africans should stop parroting others, and focus on what has worked for THOUSANDS OF YEARS.
If something has worked for you in the past, but needs improvement, you don't toss it out and jump over to something that is totally new to you. That is how you get colonized.
A word is enough for the wise.

onumadu:
This is the greatest lie ever told.

What lie was told specifically? All the data is sourced and cited if you want to read the studies comparing monogamy to polygamy. Lol why do you guys like switching the argument to the low bar between polygamy and degeneracy instead monogamy itself?

• economic development is greater access to resources, increased productivity and increased standard of living. These pretty much amount to individuals gaining more options than would exist before said growth.

• Free market survive black swan events pretty well since they're self adjusting. That's not to say economic collapse is impossible.

Ofodirinwa:


People that Europeans accidentally found oil. None of these countries have a population above that of Edo state as well

Check the population of Iran and Saudi and you will see that it is same as Nigeria's true population before each ward, local government and state inflated the figures.

Blue3k:


What lie was told specifically? All the data is sourced and cited if you want to read the studies comparing monogamy to polygamy. Lol why do you guys like switching the argument to the low bar between polygamy and degeneracy instead monogamy itself?

• economic development is greater access to resources, increased productivity and increased standard of living. These pretty much amount to individuals gaining more options than would exist before said growth.

• Free market survive black swan events pretty well since they're self adjusting. That's not to say economic collapse is impossible.

A famous Nigerian politician and Senator by the name of Dr Chuba Okadigbo made a quotable quote that has outlived him.
He said and I quote "Statistics is like a bikini. What it reveals is interesting; but it is what it does not reveal that is intriguing".

You are quoting statistics dished out by people with an agenda. You can make statistics say whatever you want.

How to judge these things, as an AFRICAN, is to ask yourself a simple question:
Is your society which is getting more monogamous getting better: more - caring//kinder/more righteous; or is it getting worse: more -wicked/immoral/selfish/greedier/violent/intolerant?
I remember when I could go into my neighbors house and eat whatever any of his wives prepared and be sure that nothing will happen to me.
Today, I can't try it with my monogamous neighbor.

onumadu:


A famous Nigerian politician and Senator by the name of Dr Chuba Okadigbo made a quotable quote that has outlived him.
He said and I quote "Statistics is like a bikini. What it reveals is interesting; but it is what it does not reveal that is intriguing".

You are quoting statics dished out by people with an agenda. You can make statistics say whatever you want.

How to judge these things, as an AFRICAN, is to ask yourself a simple question:
Is your society which is getting more monogamous getting better: more - caring//kinder/more righteous; or is it getting worse: more -wicked/immoral/selfish/greedier/violent/intolerant?
I remember when I could go into my neighbors house and eat whatever any of his wives prepared and be sure that nothing will happen to me.
Today, I can't try it with my monogamous neighbor.

You can't point to any lie that you claimed were present. You're simply doubling down on claims the author has some nefarious agenda because he pointed out facts you don't like. The author is libertarian so the agenda is most likely spreading the ideology. Let's not pretend like you actually read about the author.

The society has been getting better economicly so there's nothing to debate there. It's interesting you want us to use subjective criteria we can't verify instead stats. Only crime can be measured easily. The rest is opinion that would have to be polled. Lol maybe you live in bad neighborhood. I dont feel unsafe around my neighbors or fear they'll steal my packages.

Blue3k:


You can't point to any lie that you claimed were present. You're simply doubling down on claims the author has some nefarious agenda because he pointed out facts you don't like. The author is libertarian so the agenda is most likely spreading the ideology. Let's not pretend like you actually read about the author.

The society has been getting better economicly so there's nothing to debate there. It's interesting you want us to use subjective criteria we can't verify instead stats. Only crime can be measured easily. The rest is opinion that would have to be polled. Lol maybe you live in bad neighborhood. I dont feel unsafe around my neighbors or fear they'll steal my packages.

Honestly this topic is way above your head, believe me.
You think the author is after some economic goal? lol
BTW you say the author is "libertarian"; show me an AFRICAN society that is libertarian.
You cannot talk about economic development without dealing with socio-cultural foundations first. Economy does not grow on trees!
The reason Western countries are progressing is because they first built everything on THEIR OWN socio-cultural foundations: they did not copy those basis from anyone. Heck, before the Europeans (Romans and others with Helenic basis) could even accept and convert to Christianity, they first forced polygamy practiced by the Israelites of the time out. They even coopted pagan culture into Christianity before they could accept it.
The English for example couldn't even accept ROMAN Catholicism; they had to form their own church.
What have all these to do with economics, you may ask?
EVERYTHING.
We are poor because we keep copying what others painstakingly built FOR THEMSELVES.
By 14 century, an African king was recognized as the richest man in the whole world. I bet you that his Mali was not a monogamous society.
And they were NOT poor.

onumadu:


Honestly this topic is way above your head, believe me.
You think the author is after some economic goal? lol
BTW you say the author is "libertarian"; show me an AFRICAN society that is libertarian.
You cannot talk about economic development without dealing with socio-cultural foundations first. Economy does not grow on trees!
The reason Western countries are progressing is because they first built everything on THEIR OWN socio-cultural foundations: they did not copy those basis from anyone. Heck, before the Europeans (Romans and others with Helenic basis) could even accept and convert to Christianity, they first forced polygamy practiced by the Israelites of the time out. They even coopted pagan culture into Christianity before they could accept it.
The English for example couldn't even accept ROMAN Catholicism; they had to form their own church.
What have all these to do with economics, you may ask?
EVERYTHING.
We are poor because we keep copying what others painstakingly built FOR THEMSELVES.
By 14 century, an African king was recognized as the richest man in the whole world. I bet you that his Mali was not a monogamous society.
And they were NOT poor.

The topic is above my head but you can't answer a basic question like where's the lie present without deflecting. Your asking me if the author is libertarian after making baseless accusations about his article? Asking if African society is libertarian is irrelevant. Adopting free markets doesn't require you to change every aspect of anyones culture. See Japan and the other Asian tiger economies. The most important factors geography, free markets, property rights and relative peace. Theres others obviously.

Lol but let's circle back to polygamy vs monogamy and ask what produces the better economic outcome and why. Tell us what lie was told by the author.

Polygamy is not the problem, a woman will give birth to same number of children as second wife or the only wife. You are looking at it from a man perspective

Blue3k:


The topic is above my head but you can't answer a basic question like where's the lie present without deflecting. You asking me if the author is libertarian after making baseless accusations about his article? Asking if African society is libertarian is irrelevant. Adopting free markets doesn't require you to change every aspect of anyones culture. See Japan and the other Asian tiger economies. The most important factors geography, free markets, property rights and relative peace. Theres others obviously.

Lol but let's circle back to polygamy vs monogamy and ask what produces the better economic outcome and why. Tell us what lie was told by the author.

You're wasting your time - these clowns will never give you a reasonable answer because they didn't come to their positions through reason in the first place! As with so much else with Nigerians, it's all about what emotionally appeals to their narrow, selfish interests: in this case, the ones spitting insults are all under the delusion that they too will soon command mighty harems of their own, as long as no one undermines the social acceptance of polygamy in the meantime. They are exactly like all those poor white anti-"big gubmint" types in the USA who imagine that they're only a stone's throw away from becoming multimillionaires in need of GOP tax cuts, even if they never finished high school and currently reside in trailer homes in the middle of nowhere.

onumadu:


Honestly this topic is way above your head, believe me.
You think the author is after some economic goal? lol
BTW you say the author is "libertarian"; show me an AFRICAN society that is libertarian.
You cannot talk about economic development without dealing with socio-cultural foundations first. Economy does not grow on trees!
The reason Western countries are progressing is because they first built everything on THEIR OWN socio-cultural foundations: they did not copy those basis from anyone. Heck, before the Europeans (Romans and others with Helenic basis) could even accept and convert to Christianity, they first forced polygamy practiced by the Israelites of the time out. They even coopted pagan culture into Christianity before they could accept it.
The English for example couldn't even accept ROMAN Catholicism; they had to form their own church.
What have all these to do with economics, you may ask?
EVERYTHING.
We are poor because we keep copying what others painstakingly built FOR THEMSELVES.
By 14 century, an African king was recognized as the richest man in the whole world. I bet you that his Mali was not a monogamous society.
And they were NOT poor.

all these are whataboutism with respect to the main argument.. like the person you are arguing with insisted. what is the economic advantage of monogamy versus polygamy? looking at the merit individually will light out plenty....idiot is small numbers will cause less damage compare to idiots in larger numbers

SlyDev:
Polygamy is not the problem, a woman will give birth to same number of children as second wife or the only wife. You are looking at it from a man perspective

What's the benefits for women the author neglected to mention? He already mentioned the issues.

Perhaps a major reason for the diminished nutritional status of children in polygamous families is status inequality. First wives of polygamous husbands enjoy an elevated status and their children have access to better nutrition and are usually taller.

a review of ethnographic data from 69 non-sororal polygynous societies from around the globe reveals no case where co-wife relations could be described as harmonious, and no hint that women’s access to the means of production had any mitigating impact on conflict.”

When I was in secondary school ,it was the advantages and the EVILS of polygamy. The report was spot on, checkout an average Northern and Yoruba polygamous family and Eastern Nigeria monogamous family.

The problem is not polygamy per SE. The problem is how it's currently being practiced in this century. On the contrary, polygamy was a vehicle for wealth creation and growth in the past. Today, polygamy is practiced without discipline or responsibility.

In olden days men weren't marrying more women just cos of sexual urges, more women meant more children and more hands on the farm. Which equals greater wealth creation for the family.