POLYGAMY AND WOMEN WITHIN THE CULTURAL CONTEXT IN BOTSWANA

Abstract

One of the key elements of a family is the marriage institution. It plays an important role in the relationship that exists between men, women and children. Among the Batswana there exist two distinct forms of marriage, the monogamous and the polygamous form. In the past, the polygamous form of marriage1 was accepted and accommodated by the society. It depended largely on economic status of men. This means that a man could marry as many wives as he could support economically. The system was not only controlled by men, but empowered them economically and socially at the expense of women. Women within the polygamous relationship were not only economically disadvantaged, but also marginalized, controlled, dominated and subject to the will of men and deprived of basic human rights. The nineteenth century missionaries found this situation to be very different from what they were used to in Europe. This was a new challenge for them, and one for which seminaries had not prepared them. However, they immediately formed an opinion about it and concluded that the practice was against Christian principles. This created a problem for the newly established churches, which through the proclamation of the Gospel, attracted new converts from across the social structure, some of whom were from the polygamous families. They struggled with the problem of not knowing how to treat converted polygamous men. In Botswana and elsewhere in Africa the problem has persisted to the present day. This is 150 years since the inception of Christianity in Botswana; the church has still failed to come up with a clear policy on dealing with the problem. Individual churches or leaders are normally at liberty to decide on how best to deal with such a situation.