The Reasons behind polyagmy in Punjab

Abstract

Polygamy creates multiple social and behavioral problems in a family which is the basic unit of a society. In a Muslim society, four simultaneous marriages are allowed for a man at the most. It was revealed after the survey that in Punjab there are multiple reasons why a man may opt or be compelled for a second marriage. A man may be dissatisfied with the affairs of his present marriage, he could fall in love with another girl, he may want to protect a widow’s life by bringing her in a marital bondage or it could be merely due to his family traditions. However, polygamy has challenges of its own that must be identified and adjusted accordingly for a happier and contented life for all stake holders. To the best of our knowledge this issue is not addressed in research with a national context. In the underlying research we investigate various dimensions of this problem by surveying and interviews systematically selected samples of the society of Punjab.