Assessment of the Need for Polygamy Among Men in Southern Sierra Leone, A Structural Equation Modeling Approach

Abstract

The belief system of most Sierra Leoneans is highly glued to their culture, religion, and tradition. As a result, most Sierra Leoneans regard polygamy as a legal married institution. However, in recent years, civilization and western religions, like Christianity, have not only forbidden the act of polygamy among married men but have also highlighted some of the cons (or disadvantages) of their involvement in the act of polygamy. This has gradually changed the belief system of most Sierra Leoneans and has resulted in a gradual decline in the number of wives adored by most provincial men. As a result of the decline in the number of wives acquired by married men, the acquisition of numerous girlfriends and concubines (also called side chicks) by most provincial men has risen in recent years. The reason for this uncontrollable desire for involvement in the act of polygamy by most provincial men is yet to be investigated. To maintain a peaceful society in relation to the institution of marriage, the need to understand the main drive (or reason) behind polygamy is vital. This research work, therefore, aims at identifying the main factors influencing the need (or desire) for polygamy among provincial men in the southern part of Sierra Leone. To achieve this, a two-stage cluster sampling methodology was adopted to randomly select 600 men from the selected chiefdoms in the Moyamba district. Considering the research objective and the latent nature of the dependent and independent variables involved, a structural equation modeling methodology was used in the analysis to identify the main factors influencing the provincial men’s need or desire to be involved in the act of polygamy. Out of the four structural equation models used in the analysis, model 2 with dependent latent variable,” intention” and independent latent variables: “Attitudes” and “Subjective Norms” (like social recognition, ethnicity and desire for children) was found to be more plausible with outstanding fitness as it passed all the fitness tests including the chi-square test. The result of the empirical analysis using the structural equation models showed that there are positive and significant relationships between the dependent latent variable, “polygamy” and each of the independent latent variables, social norms, and perceived behavioral control. The result also showed that a positive and significant relationship existed between the dependent latent variable “intention” for polygamy and each of the independent latent variables: subjective norms, attitude, and perceived behavioral control.