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The Subjective Preferences for Polygamy, Concubinages and Motherhood in Africa

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Submitted   Aug 2, 2025
Published   Nov 11, 2025
Issue    Vol 7 No 1 (2026)
DOI   10.25082/IJAH.2026.01.003

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Ishmael D. Norman corresponding author
Institute for Security, Disaster and Emergency Studies, Sandpiper Place, Langma, Ghana

Abstract

Background: Some African women choose to engage in polygamy, while others prefer to be concubines to married men—despite monogamists’ general stance of not engaging in such relationships. This study also aims to identify the motivations behind these choices by examining the cultural norms that inform them.
Methods: This is a phenomenological investigation of African women’s cultural practices, focusing on their roles in three cultural constructs: polygamy, concubinage, and motherhood—amid modern educational and multicultural influences. Using a qualitative literature review approach and content analysis of existing scholarship, the study examines whether such choices align with the Gender Preference Theory (GPT), while accounting for dissenting evaluations of GPT.
Results: Becoming a mother is a cherished goal in African societies and for African women alike—a feat not restricted to whether a woman is married, or in a polygamous relationship or concubinage. Gender division of labor has long been part and parcel of traditional African societies, rendering the application of GPT redundant. Many working women in Africa are also mothers, as they view motherhood as both a natural obligation and fulfillment of their subjective needs. The desire to embrace motherhood and fulfill this natural obligation may lead some African women to opt for polygamous relationships when no suitable unmarried partner is available—a choice shaped by both religion and culture. For many young couples, the economic barriers to marriage are too burdensome, leading them to have children outside of formal marital unions.
Conclusion: GPT appears to be grounded in the assumption that women possess autonomy—equated with economic power and social control—and can choose their own partners from a pool of suitors, whether in monogamous marriages, polygamous unions, or concubinage. Becoming a mother is shaped by biology, opportunity, and choice—regardless of cultural or religious imperatives.

Keywords
African communalistic lifestyle, sacrificial love, social justice, societal trust, cultural values, western individualistic lifestyle

Article Details

How to Cite
Norman, I. D. (2025). The Subjective Preferences for Polygamy, Concubinages and Motherhood in Africa. International Journal of Arts and Humanities, 7(1), 420-433. https://doi.org/10.25082/IJAH.2026.01.003
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