Experiences of women in polygamous marriage: a phenomenological study from Lode Hetosa woreda, Arsi zone, Oromia regional state, Ethiopia

Polygamy is marriage to more than one spouse at a time. The most typical form of polygamy is polygamy, in which cowives share a husband. In Ethiopia, though the practice of polygamous marriage is prohibited legally under the revised family code, it is practiced in some regional states under the garb of religion and customary laws. Thus, this study aimed to identify women’s lived experiences in a polygamy marriage in Lode Hexosa Woreda, Arsi Zone, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia. To meet the objectives of the study, a qualitative approach with a phenomenological design was employed. The study area and participants of the study were selected by using the purposive sampling technique. To collect primary data, an in-depth interview was used. Accordingly, an in-depth interview was held with ten women. The saturation of information was assured when no new information or themes were observed in the data. The collected data were analyzed manually by employing the thematic data analysis technique. The findings of the study revealed that personal factors (being widowed, infertility, being divorced women), socio-cultural factors (family pressure, patriarchal attitude, culture of widow inheritance), and economic factors (poverty) are the major causes that drive women to enter into a polygamous marriage. The study also identified economic, health, psychological, and husband-related challenges and problems among wives as major challenges women face in polygamous marriage. However, social benefit (i.e., social prestige and freedom from loneliness) is the only opportunity that women enjoy within a polygamous marriage. To cope with their challenges, they used different mechanisms. The findings of the study revealed that women use coping strategies like asking for family support, discussing with cowives, praying to God, enjoying the children they get in marriage, living in different homesteads, living in tolerance, and accepting and respecting the idea of their husband. Based on the findings of the study, it was concluded that women in polygamous marriages had experienced a lot of challenges with limited benefits. Therefore, it was suggested that governmental and non-governmental organizations, religious leaders, and community leaders should work jointly on awareness creation for the community to reduce the practice and challenges women have within polygamy marriage