«Вторая жена» в Дагестане: мотивация брачного поведения и социальное самочувствие

Abstract

Introduction. The article raises the problem of polygamy, which is relevant for the Dagestan society, as a family and marriage practice, revived in the post-Soviet period of Russian statehood. This practice is negatively perceived by the majority of the population of the republic, despite the fact that it is not becoming less common. The attempt to answer the question of what this is connected with determined the main goal of this work - to reveal the opinion of the “second wives” themselves about the reasons for entering into Muslim marriage with a man already connected by family ties, and also to assess their social well-being in the context of the situation that has developed for them. Aspects of society of negative attitudes and problems that they have to face as a result of the chosen strategy of marital behavior. Methods. The article uses the results of the author's sociological surveys: a mass survey conducted in 2021 in the Republic of Dagestan (N=507) on a representative sample (taking into account such social characteristics of respondents as age, education, place of residence, attitude to religion, income level, social status), as well as a semi-structured interview among Dagestan women who are in the status of "second wife" (N=29). Results of research and its discussion. According to the results of the study, it was found that the women surveyed argued their decision to start a family with a married man by the desire to have a child in a legal, from the point of view of Islam, marriage union. The motivation for entering into a Muslim marriage in the status of a “second wife” is also a feeling of love, as well as the conviction of the legality of such a marriage and its equivalence with a marriage formalized according to secular traditions. The results of the interview testify to the perception of their social status by “second wives” that is adequate to the realities, which is determined by the negative attitude towards polygamy in Dagestan society and the low responsibility of Muslim husbands, who often do not follow the norms of Islamic ethics regarding family life in the format of polygamy. Many of the respondents would not dare to take this step again if there was an opportunity to return to the past. The subject of frustration is the difficulty resulting from the inability or unwillingness of Muslim husbands to equally distribute financial and emotional resources equally between wives and children in both families. In view of this, the problem of infringement of the rights of "second wives", their children and, in general, polygamy is being actively discussed in the socio-political and scientific circles of Dagestan society.