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Nagarajan and Sahoo

60
50
40
Percentage 30
20
10
0
Non- Polygonous Polygynous Non- Polygonous Polygynous Non-Polygonous Polygynous Non-Polygonous Polygynous

Physical violence Sexual violence Emotional violence Any violence
North South East West Central North-east
Figure 1. Percentage of Polygyny and Spousal Violence by Region, India, 2019 – 2021.

among non-polygynous women in India. After controlling the other variables, a similar result (with a lower AOR = 1.36)
was found in the adjusted model. The result is also consistent for the physical, sexual, and emotional violence with
higher odds in sexual and emotional violence in both unadjusted and adjusted models. Although the unadjusted odds
of polygyny showed that spousal violence was higher in all the regions of India, no significant relation was found for
Eastern, Northern, and Central regions while adjusting all the factors. While physical (UOR = 2.77) and sexual violence
(UOR = 2.95) was higher among polygynous women in the western region, emotional violence was significantly higher
among polygynous women in the southern region (UOR = 2.67, AOR = 1.64). Since the odds ratio of polygyny was
greater than one, it vividly becomes a risk factor for polygynous women.
4. Discussion

Spousal violence is still widespread in India and women in polygynous marriages have higher odds of experiencing
marital violence than in non-polygynous marriages. The results of the study indicate that nearly two-fifths of women from
polygynous marriage and about one-fourth from non-polygynous marriage were victims of spousal violence in 2019 –
2021 in India. Several studies found that women in polygynous unions were more likely to experience spousal violence
than their monogamous counterparts (Abramsky et al., 2011; Ahinkorah, 2021; Behrman, 2019; Bove & Valeggia, 2009;
Jansen & Agadjanian, 2020; Jewkes et al., 2002; Rahaman et al., 2022; Kimuna & Djamba, 2008; Nyamayemombe,
et al., 2010). However, most of these studies were from Africa, where the prevalence of polygyny was much higher than
in India. Although Rahaman et al. (2022) studied women’s violence between polygynous and monogamous marriages in
India, their data were from the 4th wave of NFHS in 2015 – 2016. Our results are not only a merely update but also are
an extension of theirs by examining factors associated with specific types of spousal violence and regional variations in
a more systematic way.
In spite of the lower prevalence of polygyny in India, the association between polygyny and spousal violence is
the same as that in Africa. The possible reasons attributed by the above-mentioned studies for the positive association
between polygyny and spousal violence are as follows: less spousal communication and weaker emotional ties in
polygynous unions; competition for resources between senior and junior wives leading to strain in familial relationships;
low cooperation/interaction between co-wives attributed to competition amongst competing co-wives for various reasons;
husband’s controlling behavior on the first/older wife once he establishes a second/younger relationship; conflict/jealousy
among co-wives pushing the husbands to control them through violence; use of violence by the husbands to resolve the
power dispute among the co-wives; and socioeconomic characteristics of the husband, wife, and households.
Our study also finds that the odds of experiencing all the three types of spousal violence (physical, sexual, and
emotional) was significantly higher for women in polygynous unions than for those in monogamous ones in India and
across all regions. Slapping was the most common form of physical violence with the highest levels observed among
polygynous women. Nearly, 12% of women in India experienced sexual violence in polygynous unions and 5% in non-
polygynous unions. Among women who experienced sexual violence in polygynous unions, most (10%) were forced to
have sex with their husbands. A previous study on polygyny also found that marital rape occurred when a husband forced
his wife to take part in sexual acts without her consent (Ogunwale et al., 2020). More women in polygynous unions
than non-polygynous ones suffered from emotional violence. A husband’s exclusive support for one wife creates rivalry,

International Journal of Population Studies | 2021, Volume 7, Issue 1 121