Centre of Expertise on Gender, Diversity and Intersectionality (RHEA), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Elsene, Belgium.
Centre for Research on Culture and Gender, Ghent University, Rozier 44, 9000, Ghent, Belgium.
Reprod Health. 2019 Jul 15;16(1):103. doi: 10.1186/s12978-019-0762-1.
In many low-and middle-income countries women with infertility are often in polygynous marriages. From a human and women's rights perspective, the practice of polygyny is commonly understood as harmful. Studies indicate that polygyny aggravates negative life circumstances of women with infertility with respect to their health and social well-being. The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore how women with infertility experience polygyny and to understand their decision-making regarding these marriages.
An explorative qualitative study was conducted among women with infertility in the urban communities of the West Coast region of The Gambia using in-depth interviews (30). Data analysis involved an emergent and partially inductive thematic framework and was carried out using NVivo 11.
With the exception of some women with infertility who described positive experiences within polygynous marriages, most women emphasised conflicts that exist within polygynous households and reported financial and emotional difficulties. Thematic analysis identified several strategies of women with infertility to cope with and resist polygynous marriages, including overcoming childlessness, addressing conflict, spending time outside the compound, looking for social support, kanyaleng kafoolu, living separately and initiating divorce. Moreover, the experiences and decision-making power of women with infertility when it comes to polygynous marriages was found to be closely related to their socio-demographic background.
This work highlights how women with infertility in polygynous marriages are in a precarious situation in urban Gambia. Women utilize a mix of compliance, coping and resistance strategies to navigate the challenges of polygynous marriages in a structurally constraining context.
在许多中低收入国家，不孕女性往往处于多配偶婚姻中。从人权和妇女权利的角度来看，多配偶制通常被认为是有害的。研究表明，多配偶制加剧了不孕女性在健康和社会福祉方面的负面生活状况。本定性研究的目的是探讨不孕女性如何体验多配偶制，并了解她们对这些婚姻的决策。
本研究在冈比亚西海岸城市社区中对不孕女性进行了探索性定性研究，采用深入访谈（30 次）。数据分析涉及一个新兴的部分归纳主题框架，并使用 NVivo 11 进行。
除了一些不孕女性描述了多配偶婚姻中的积极体验外，大多数女性强调了多配偶家庭中存在的冲突，并报告了经济和情感困难。主题分析确定了不孕女性应对和抵制多配偶婚姻的几种策略，包括克服不孕、解决冲突、在大院外度过时间、寻求社会支持、kanyaleng kafoolu、分开生活和提出离婚。此外，还发现不孕女性在多配偶婚姻方面的经历和决策能力与其社会人口背景密切相关。
这项工作强调了在冈比亚城市中，多配偶婚姻中的不孕女性处于不稳定的境地。女性在结构上受限的背景下，利用合规、应对和抵抗策略的组合来应对多配偶婚姻的挑战。
