Voices of Muslim women in polygamous marriages in Durban and surrounding areas: a study of participants’ lived experience.
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Date
2021
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Abstract
This study explored the experiences of a select group of Muslim women who are in
polygamous marriages in Durban and surrounding areas. The aim was to determine the lived
experiences of participating students who are either first or second wives in polygamous
marriages. The study specifically investigated the participants’ understanding of living with
the consequences of a polygamous marriage and their view of the influence of religion,
culture and society in the practice of polygamy in South Africa.
A qualitative research design was used to implement the study. A purposively selected
sample of six participants from Durban and surrounding areas participated in this study of
which four were first wives and two were second wives, and they were all Indian, Muslim
South Africans. Data was collected using a semi-structured interview method. To analyse the
data, Thematic Analysis was used. The goal was to reveal the core experiences of
participants’ borne out of either being a first or second wife in a polygamous marriage.
The findings of the study showed that Muslim women suffer specific consequences as a result
of being in a polygamous marriage. Some of these consequences include: the husband being
aloof from his first family after his subsequent marriage, husband’s subsequent marriage
having a negative impact emotionally and psychologically on the children of the first
marriage, first wives feeling physically married but emotionally separated and the problem of
the first wife’s disempowering dependence on the husband’s finances for sustenance and
survival. Some of the unique experiences include: the first wives’ experience of feeling
betrayed by their husbands when they take on second wives, the first wives’ experience of
being physically married but feeling emotionally separated, the second wives’ negative
experiences of being seen as a spoiler of people’s first marriages and a devil’s advocate in the
continued propagation of polygamous marriages and the complaint of the second wives about
the stigma against them from the husband’s family. Implications of these findings were
examined and some recommendations were made to encourage further studies along the lines
of the present study.
Description
Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg.