Polygamy Crimes Polygamy (from Late Greek (') "state of marriage to many spouses") is the practice of marrying multiple spouses. When a man is married to more than one wife at the same time, sociologists call this polygyny. When a woman is married ...

is illegal in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and has been the center of recent political debates, due to surges of Malian immigrants living polygamously in the country. Due to such, stricter laws have been enforced to stomp out

polygamy Crimes Polygamy (from Late Greek (') "state of marriage to many spouses") is the practice of marrying multiple spouses. When a man is married to more than one wife at the same time, sociologists call this polygyny. When a woman is married ...

. In the 1970s and 1980s, large numbers of polygamous immigrants arrived in France, and their marriages that were performed abroad were generally recognized by France. Since 1993, France no longer recognizes second spouses in marriages performed abroad (before that date, visas were granted freely to family members of immigrants until 1993).

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Econo ...

estimates that in France, 200,000 people live in 16,000 to 20,000 polygamous families, almost all of them Muslims of North or central African heritage."Many Wives' tales," The Economist, May 8–14, 2010, p. 55 Several politicians stated that they perceived polygamy as a contributing cause of the

2005 French riots The 2005 French riots (french: Émeutes de 2005 dans les Banlieues Françaises), was a three-week period of riots in the suburbs of Paris and other French cities, in October and November 2005. These riots involved youth in violent attacks, and t ...

Islam and polygamy in France

The issue of polygamy in France is tied to the topics of Islam in France, immigration to France, and the

French colonial empire The French colonial empire () comprised the overseas colonies, protectorates and mandate territories that came under French rule from the 16th century onward. A distinction is generally made between the "First French Colonial Empire", that exist ...

in Muslim majority countries. Polygamy, along with burqa, forced marriages and

female genital mutilation Female genital mutilation (FGM), also known as female genital cutting, female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and female circumcision, is the ritual cutting or removal of some or all of the external female genitalia. The practice is found ...

, has been the subject of political controversy in France in the context of debates about immigration. After a Muslim woman was arrested by French police for wearing a face-covering veil while driving, Interior Minister

Brice Hortefeux Brice Hortefeux (born 11 May 1958) is a conservative French politician. He was Minister of the Interior, Overseas Territories and Territorial collectivities. He was previously Minister for Labour, Labour Relations, the Family, Solidarity and Ur ...

sought to remove her husband's citizenship due to allegations of polygamy. The husband, Algerian-born Lies Hebbadj, responded "If we are stripped of nationality, for having mistresses... then there would be a lot of French people stripped of nationality. As far as I know, mistresses are not forbidden, neither in France, nor in Islam." In December 2020, Prime Minister

Emmanuel Macron Emmanuel Macron (; born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as President of France since 2017. ''Ex officio'', he is also one of the two Co-Princes of Andorra. Prior to his presidency, Macron served as Minister of Econ ...

's cabinet introduced a draft bill addressing polygamy as a response to perceived Islamic radicalism. The bill would deny immigrants French residency in France if they were found to be polygamous, and future marriages would be canceled if authorities conclude that they were forced. In February 2021, the

French National Assembly The National Assembly (french: link=no, italics=set, Assemblée nationale; ) is the lower house of the bicameral French Parliament under the Fifth Republic, the upper house being the Senate (). The National Assembly's legislators are known a ...

passed the bill.

Mayotte

was legal in the French island territory of

Mayotte Mayotte (; french: Mayotte, ; Shimaore: ''Maore'', ; Kibushi: ''Maori'', ), officially the Department of Mayotte (french: Département de Mayotte), is an overseas department and region and single territorial collectivity of France. It is loc ...

until 2009. This changed, however, when 95% of Mayotte citizens voted on March 29, 2009 to become the 101st department of France. Due to such, the island was forced to bar all forms of polygamous unions and other forms of practices that "contradict with French culture", including child marriages. The island was consequently required to disallow recognizing polygamy by 2011, when the vote became effective.

References

{{Polygamous marriage Marriage in France Culture of Mayotte