Psychological welfare of women in polygynous Muslim families in Likoni Sub-county, Kenya

Abstract

This study sought to investigate the psychological welfare of women in polygynous Muslim families in Likoni Sub-County. The Muslim community embraces polygyny as a form of marriage because it is allowed by the Islamic religion. As a result, polygyny is rampant among the Muslim community in Kenya. While the Islamic religion allows men to marry up to four wives, the impact of this on the welfare of women has not been studied. The study utilised data that was collected through a survey of wives in polygynous Muslim families and interviews with Muslim religious leaders in the study area. Clustered and snowball sampling techniques were used to select the sample of polygynous families. One Muslim religious leader was selected purposively from each of the four clusters. The survey data was examined using descriptive statistics, while the thematic content analysis technique was used to analyse the interview data. Results showed that women in polygynous unions suffer from psychological challenges such as loss of self-esteem and anxiety due to financial difficulties, conflicts with other wives, and reduced intimacy with husbands. Based on these findings, the study recommends that policymakers and practitioners should strengthen policies and interventions for addressing the psychological challenges of women.