African Continen Polygyny

As communities adapt to changing economies, political events, and systems of rule, it is not uncommon for one half of the population to lag behind. Women have traditionally been regarded as less valuable than males in the majority of cultures, and their fight for equal rights continues in even the most progressive nations. For example, only 19 percent of American Congresspersons are female , and women, especially women of color, make up to 30 percent less for the same work than their male counterparts with the same credentials. Only a few countries offer compensation for maternal leave, and childcare benefits are available almost exclusively in the Scandinavian nations. African women face many of the same challenges with the additional difficulty that less economic development and unstable systems of government have resulted in a more rigid social structure. Short periods of African independence contrast with those found in Europe, Asia, and South America, and have limited African lawmaker’s ability to effect While England has an “800 year history of human rights law and long political stability…as recently as 1950 only four countries in Africa had their own independent government.” Many parts of the African …show more content…
The rate of polygyny varies greatly by region, with, for example, an incidence of 10% in Malawi versus 55% in Cameroon. The effect of polygamous marriage practices is can be characterized by higher fertility, greater spousal age gaps, and more significant rates of poverty. However, the economics behind this practice allow men an advantage over monogamous individuals, at least in the short-term, making the difficulty of a transition on any grounds rather precarious. Neither child marriage nor partnership in a multiplicitous union tends to afford women rights over property and their children or the ability to live