Monogamous Family Research Articles

African girls, nineteenth‐century mission education and the patriarchal imperative

This paper draws on Anglican mission archive material to uncover the extent to which girls’ schooling in early nineteenth‐century West Africa developed as a response to male interests and perceived male needs. The founding of the colony of Sierra Leone in 1787 as a home for freed slaves followed by the arrival of Protestant missionaries in 1804 offers a laboratory type environment to trace the development of girls’ formal schooling in Africa. In particular, the missionaries understood the importance of educating women if Christianity was to prosper on the continent. Girls were to be educated to take their place in the new Christian monogamous family, to provide moral and practical support for men, and to bring up their children in the new faith. They were to be taught separately from boys where possible, by female teachers and with a differentiated curriculum dominated by sewing. Educational opportunities were expanded only insofar as women needed to provide fitting and accomplished marriage companions for educated men seeking to advance their careers in the new meritocratic society.

Effect of Family Type on Secondary School Students\' Performance in Physics in

This study investigated the effect of family type on Secondary School students\' performance in physics in Ilorin metropolis. The sample comprised one hundred Senior Secondary II students from four schools in Ilorin metropolis. The instrument for the study titled \Effect of Family type on Students\' Performance in Physics Questionnaire (EFTSPPQ) was designed by the researcher. The instrument consists of three sections. Section A & B are designed to collect personal information on the students while section C provides information on students\' scores in physics for the first term examination. Collected data were analysed using percentages and analysis of Variance (ANOVA) statistic. The major findings include superiority of students from monogamous family over those (students) from polygamous and single-parent families. Based on the findings of the study, recommendations were made on ways by which students from polygamous and single-parent families can be assisted to improve on their performance in physics. The Nigerian Journal Of Guidance And Counselling Vol. 7 (1) 2000: pp. 184-195

The Psychosocial Profile of Bedouin Arab Women Living in Polygamous and Monogamous Marriages

This study examining the psychosocial profile of Bedouin Arab Women living in polygamous and monogamous marriages found that women in polygamous marriages reported lower levels of self-esteem and higher levels of somatization, depression, anxiety, hostility, paranoid ideation, more problematic family functioning, less marital satisfaction, and more problematic mother–child relationships than women in monogamous marriages. The sample consisted of 315 women, 156 from polygamous and 159 from monogamous families. The respondents completed the Self-Esteem scale (SE), The Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI), The McMaster Family Assessment Device (FAD), The Enrich questionnaire and the Index of Parental Attitudes. The polygamous family structure and the economic difficulties widespread, apparently constitutes a substantial contribution to the polygamous household's impaired family functioning.

Religiosity And Perceived Family Support As Correlate Of Nigerian University Undergraduates Self-Esteem

The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of religiosity and perceived family support on self-esteem levels of undergraduate students in a Nigerian university. The participants were purposively selected from all faculties and student\'s non-denominational religion associations in one Federal University in Nigeria. 500 participants filled out a questionnaire of four sections. The result of the analyses shows that the relationship between undergraduate religiosity ratings and self-esteem ratings is not significant (r = 0.09) also, the influence of religiosity level on self-esteem level is not significant (&#967;2 = 2.61, &#961; > .05). More so, the difference in the self-esteem levels of Christian and Muslim undergraduates is not significant (F = 0.22, p > .05). However there is a significant influence of level of perceived family support on self-esteem level (&#967;2 = 92.68, &#961; < .05). This is supported by the significant difference in the self-esteem ratings of undergraduates from monogamous and polygamous families (t = 8.98, p < .05). It therefore implies that perceived family support influences self-esteem. Thus, increasing the amount of family support an undergraduate receives and perceives will increase their self-esteem. IFE PsychologIA Vol. 15 (2) 2007: pp. 198-211

Mental Health Aspects of Turkish Women from Polygamous Versus Monogamous Families

Polygamy is illegal in Turkey, but is common among rural villagers in the southeastern region. Polygamous marriage may have a negative effect on the wives involved. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent of the relationship between psychiatric disorder and polygamous marriage. The mental status of 42 senior and 46 junior wives from polygamous marriages and 50 wives from monogamous marriages was evaluated using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders (SCID-I) and Somatoform Dissociation Questionnaire (SDQ). There was a statistically significant difference among senior, junior and monogamous wives in terms of the prevalence of somatization disorder. The prevalence of somatization disorder was the highest in polygamous senior wives. The mean total SDQ scores differed significantly among the three groups. It was the highest in senior wives. It is clear that the participants from polygamous families, especially senior wives, reported more psychological distress. It is essential to increase awareness of the significance of polygamous family structures among psychiatrists and other therapists.

The relationship between monogamous/polygamous family structure and the mental health of bedouin Arab adolescents

Previous studies of polygamy and child mental health have primarily focused on younger children. The present studies are among the first to focus on adolescents. The first study involved 210 randomly selected Bedouin Arab adolescents (mean age 15.9), who were administered instruments assessing their family environment and mental health. The second study involved 182 Bedouin Arab adolescents in which the student participants completed a single instrument about themselves and in which the teachers of the students completed the Teachers’ Report Form of the Child Behaviour Checklist by Achenbach. The Bedouin Arab adolescents fell into two groups: (a) adolescents in monogamous family structures and (b) adolescents in polygamous family structures. The findings of the first study suggest that the two groups did not differ significantly in the majority of the assessed variables, even though there were significant differences obtained between groups for 4 of the 13 assessed variables. The two groups did not differ significantly in the second study. Results were discussed in terms of their cultural and developmental significance.

Polyparents having children, raising children, schooling children

Through the use of both quantitative and qualitative data from Australian and US research, this paper is an initial exploration of polyamorous parenting, particularly in relation to schooling and negotiating the implications of heteronormative monogamy on their children’s lives. The paper calls for more research and support of polyamorous families as these families are still largely invisible and falling ‘between the cracks’ of heteronormative monogamous nuclear families and the increasingly visible lesbian and gay families.

Intelligence and Family Marital Structure: The Case of Adolescents From Monogamous and Polygamous Families Among Bedouin Arabs in Israel

The levels of intelligence among Bedouin Arab adolescents from monogamous and polygamous families living in the Negev region of Israel were examined. A shortened version of the Raven's Progressive Matrices (RPM) test (S. Elbedour, T. J. Bouchard, & Y. Hur, 1997; J. Raven, J. C. Raven, & J. H. Court, 1998) was used to assess intelligence. There were no significant test score differences between adolescents from monogamous families and adolescents from polygamous families. In addition, participants with 2 mothers tended to have lower RPM scores than those with 3 or 4 mothers, and participants with related parents tended to have lower RPM scores than participants with unrelated parents. One major finding of this study is that polygamous family marital structures tended not to have deleterious effects on the Bedouin Arab adolescents' RPM test scores.

Sexual behaviour of adolescents in Nigeria: cross sectional survey of secondary school students

Objectives: To determine whether family structure (polygamous or monogamous) is associated with sexual activity among school students in Nigeria.Design: Cross sectional school survey with a two stage, clustered sampling design.Participants:...

Parent-Adolescent Conflict and Its Resolution in Monogamous and Polygamous Bedouin Arab Families in Southern Israel

The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to compare whether children from polygamous family structures significantly differ from children from monogamous family structures with regard to the frequency of parent-child conflict, and (2) whether children from these two structures employ different patterns of family conflict resolution.To address these questions, a random sample of 212 high school students (60.8% monogamous) completed a self-administered survey. The results of MANOVA show no significant differences (p > 0.05) between these two structures with regard to the frequency of parent-child conflict. The results also show similar conflict management styles between these two family structures within each of the following five domains (privacy, school and career, money spending, going out and leisure, and physical appearance).This study is unique in that it is the first empirical research to be conducted in the field of conflict resolution among youth and adolescents in polygamous marital structures and therefore, further investigation is needed to replicate these results utilizing different cross-cultural populations practicing polygamy.

Polygyny and child survival in Nigeria: Age-dependent effects

Mortality risks under age five are estimated using data from the 1990 Nigerian Demographic and Health Survey for children in monogamous and polygynous families. Integrating existing theories on polygyny’s relationship with infant and child mortality and some demographic concepts, the study shows that polygyny has different effects on infant and child mortality at different ages. The results indicate that polygyny does not have a significant effect on neonatal mortality (age less than one month). In contrast to the results of previous research, polygyny is significantly associated with lower child mortality during the post-neonatal period (1–11 months), but not during childhood (12–59 months). The study found socio-economic factors to be important confounders of the relationship between polygyny and mortality during the neonatal and post-neonatal periods. The protective effect of polygyny during the post-neonatal period suggests the need to further investigate circumstances that may favour post-neonatal child survival in polygynous families including availability of childcare.

Mental Health Aspects of Arab-Israeli Adolescents From Polygamous Versus Monogamous Families

The authors considered the mental health consequences of polygamy in a sample of 101 Arab Muslim adolescents (19 from polygamous and 82 from monogamous families) at Juarish (Ramla), Israel. The respondents completed the Self-Esteem Scale (SE; M. Rosenberg, 1979), the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI; L. Derogatis & N. Melsavados, 1983; L. Derogatis & P. Spencer, 1982), and the McMaster Family Assessment Device (FAD; N. B. Epstein, M. N. Baldwin, & D. S. Bishop, 1983). The respondents from polygamous families had lower SE scores, statistically significant higher scores in 2 BSI dimensions, higher scores in all other BSI dimensions, and higher levels of self-reported family dysfunction. The respondents from polygamous families reported lower levels of socioeconomic status, academic achievement, and parental academic attainment. Those variables may have had a more direct impact on mental health than did parental marital status. The data also indicated that perceived family functioning was the best predictor of mental health.

Interracial Intimacy: The Regulation of Race and Romance

Tackling a provocative subject, Rachel F. Mo-ran explores the role antimiscegenation laws played in defining normative family relationships throughout American history. She traces social and legal challenges to antimiscegena-tion laws and their lingering effects on current definitions of family, racial identity, and social policy. Moran's analysis revolves around how racial identity structures beliefs about intimate relationships. According to Moran, these laws asserted the superiority of white familial norms and pathologized interracial intimacy, encouraging what she terms “separate but equal” families. Moran moves beyond black-white polarities, examining how and why attitudes about racial mixing affected Hispanics, Asian Americans, and Native Americans differently. She convincingly establishes the connection between past prohibitions on interracial relationships and current controversies over social policy, such as continued low rates of interracial marriage, controversy over trans-racial adoptions, and the debate over the utility of multiracial categories. For historians, however, much of Moran's discussion is well-tilled ground. She bases her conclusions on familiar case law and a limited reading of the existing historiography, failing to incorporate the more recent and nuanced analyses of race mixing and racial identity by Peggy Pascoe, Neil Foley, Kathleen Brown, Grace Hale, and others. Consequently, her recitation of legal restrictions on interracial intimacy is simplistic and occasionally troubling. At times, Moran ignores black agency. For example, she implies that the lack of stable families under slavery reflected slaves' lax moral code rather than owners' willingness to disrupt family relationships. She then attributes Reconstruction-era efforts to create monogamous black families solely to the Freedmen's Bureau and to black elites' efforts to “educate” lower-class blacks about the benefits of marriage. She disregards the well-documented, widespread, and spontaneous efforts of freed blacks to solemnize marriages and reunite families. At other times, Moran is only partially accurate. She suggests the one-drop rule was adopted in the upper South as early as the late eighteenth century, followed by the lower South in the mid-1850s. Yet legal definitions of racial identity fluctuated throughout the mid-nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries. Indeed, Virginia did not codify the one-drop rule in law until 1924. These problems compromise her analysis.

Wife Abuse Among Polygamous and Monogamous Bedouin-Arab Families

This study compared the phenomenon of wife abuse in polygamous and monogamous Bedouin-Arab families. A sample of 81 women participated in the present study −40 were from polygamous and 41 were from monogamous families. The instruments administered examined three dimensions: Demographic variables, sense of personal potency (as assessed by the Potency Scale: Ben-Sira, 1985) and experience of abusive behavior (as assessed by the Psychological Maltreatment of Women Inventory: Tolman, 1995, 1989). Results indicated higher levels of potency and lower levels of wife abuse among monogamous as compared to polygamous wives. These findings are discussed in the context of women's sense of personal potency.

Assessment of household kitchen equipment: factors influencing its acquisition and its impact on food consumption in Osun State of Nigeria

Women in Nigeria are faced with drudgery during food preparation. The acquisition of modern kitchen equipment (MKE) can help in reducing this problem. The study was carried out to investigate the factors influencing the acquisition of household kitchen equipment (KE). Data were collected from users in Ife Central and Ife East Local Government Areas of Osun State using questionnaires as well as interviews and observations. Quantitative analysis was undertaken using the SPSS computer package. The results showed that acquisition of MKE is influenced by socio-economic factors such as age, marital status, income, occupation, educational level and place of residence. The acquisition of MKE was higher among respondents in the age group 31–50 years. Monogamous families have more MKE than polygamous homes. Acquisition of MKE is higher among respondents with tertiary and secondary education. More MKE is also acquired by respondents earning above N4,000.00. Respondents in urban areas possessed more MKE than those in rural areas. The study also revealed that the type of KE acquired affects the food consumption pattern of respondents. Respondents having high- and medium-class KE eat more protein foods and more regularly than others. The policy implications of the results both at domestic and national levels are discussed.

Scholastic Achievement and Family Marital Structure: Bedouin-Arab Adolescents From Monogamous and Polygamous Families in Israel

In a sample of Bedouin-Arab adolescents from monogamous and polygamous families in the Negev region of Israel, the authors examined scholastic achievement levels in the subjects of Arabic, English, Hebrew, and mathematics. There were no significant differences in the scholastic achievement levels in those 4 disciplines between adolescents from monogamous families and those from polygamous families. There was, however, a significant interaction between gender and family marital structure for Hebrew scores: Polygamous family structures tended to engender higher Hebrew scores for the male participants, whereas monogamous family structures tended to engender higher Hebrew scores for the female participants. However, the major overall finding was that polygamous family marital structures did not affect deleteriously the scholastic achievement levels of the Bedouin-Arab participants.

Learning Achievement, Social Adjustment, and Family Conflict Among Bedouin-Arab Children From Polygamous and Monogamous Families

A sample of 146 Bedouin-Arab pupils from polygamous and monogamous families participated in this study, which was conducted in a Bedouin-Arab village in the Negev, Israel. The authors compared learning achievement, social adjustment, and family conflict. Data revealed differences between the two groups: The children from monogamous families had higher levels of learning achievement than did the children from polygamous families; in addition, those from monogamous families adjusted to the school framework better than did those from polygamous families. The mean conflict rating of children from polygamous families was higher than that of their counterparts from monogamous families. The father's level of education tended to be inversely correlated with family size in terms of both number of children and number of wives.

Polygyny and Democracy: A Cross-Cultural Comparison

Communal democracy is shown to be significantly and negatively correlated with polygyny. In turn, communal democracy is demonstrated to be positively correlated with the democracy of supracommunal structures. Consequently, it is suggested that the fact that modern democracy developed in Europe (i.e. the very region that by the Late Middle Ages was already characterized by the highest proportion of complex societies with small monogamous families and democratic communities) might not be a coincidence.

Rural Revolt in Mexico: U.S. Intervention and the Domain of Subaltern PoliticsClose Encounters of Empire: Writing the Cultural History of U.S.-Latin American RelationsThe Dictator Next Door: The Good Neighbor Policy and the Trujillo Regime in the Dominican Republic, 1930-1945

Rural Revolt in Mexico: U.S. Intervention and the Domain of Subaltern PoliticsClose Encounters of Empire: Writing the Cultural History of U.S.-Latin American RelationsThe Dictator Next Door: The Good Neighbor Policy and the Trujillo Regime in the Dominican Republic, 1930-1945

On the Formation of Family Structures

Hitherto, models of family economics focus on explaining theorganization of monogamous and polygynous family patterns. A thirdexisting marriage pattern, polyandrous marriages, has beenneglected. This paper shows that – in contrast to the common view – a polyandrous marriage may be individually rational. I considera game theoretic model of a subsistence economy whose membersmaximize their personal reproductive success. In this model, allthree family formations can appear as equilibrium solutions.