The tradition of polygamy exists in a limited number of countries worldwide.
According to experts' research, polygamous families constitute approximately 2% of the world's population, and in most countries, this figure is below 0.5%. In the vast majority of countries, this practice is prohibited by law and is also not accepted by the public.
Polygamy is more commonly found in African countries. Across the continent, approximately 11% of the population lives in a polygamous family structure.
The figures are high in countries such as Burkina Faso – 36%, Mali – 34%, Gambia – 30%, Niger – 29%, Nigeria – 28%, Guinea-Bissau – 23%, Senegal – 23%. In these countries, polygamy can not only be legal but also exists as a social tradition.
Another region is the Middle East. In Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE, the average rate of polygamy is 0.5%. In India, this lifestyle is prevalent among groups with certain religious beliefs.
It should be noted that the United Nations and International Human Rights Organizations consider polygamy harmful to women's rights. According to research, strong religious and patriarchal structures are factors contributing to polygamy.
According to Azerbaijani legislation, polygamy is prohibited – an official marriage can only be concluded between one man and one woman. This is enshrined in Article 34 of the Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Theologian Rufat Garayev spoke to Modern.az about this.
He stated that there is a verse in the Holy Quran that permits marriage with several women (up to 4) under certain conditions. However, the continuation of that verse explicitly states that marrying one woman is more beneficial in terms of upholding justice:
“The problem is that some people only take the first part of the verse as a basis, but do not consider the condition of justice and responsibility. That is, relying on the principle of “permission exists,” they relegate justice, women's rights, intra-family relations, and the fate of children to the background.”
The theologian noted that if a second marriage leads to the breakdown of the first family, dissatisfaction among children, and psychological and social problems, then such a step should be avoided:
"That is, there must be a compelling reason for this. If there are no children in the previous family, if the wife cannot serve her husband, etc., in such cases, with the consent of the first wife, a man can simultaneously marry a second woman. If there are normal relations in the first family, if there are children, if the family is stable, but the man enters into a second marriage merely for personal desire, lust, and whim, this is not correct," Rufat Garayev added.
