While

polygamous unions 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 ...

are unlawful under the Liberian civil code, such

marriages Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

are perfectly permissible under the Liberia's customary law.

Dynamics

According to reports,

polygamous 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 marrie ...

make up about one-third of all Liberian

. One third of married women in the age group 15-49, are in polygamous marriages.OECD Atlas of Gender and Development: How Social Norms Affect Gender Equality in non-OECD Countries, OECD Publishing, 2010. p 236. Customary law allows men to have up to 4 wives. Customary law restricts a married woman's rights to inherit property from her spouse. When widowed, women are at the mercy of the customary laws that are not subject to the civil courts.Olukoju, Ayodeji. "Gender Roles, Marriage and Family."Culture and Customs of Liberia . Westport : Greenwood Press, 2006. p 98.

References

{{Polygamous marriage Polygamy in Africa Liberia Culture of Liberia

Dynamics

See also

References