LECTURE SERIES: The (Unintended) Consequences of Changing Polygyny Legislation: A Case Study of Three sub-Saharan Countries.

Across Africa, shifts in the legal status of polygyny – from prohibition to liberalization – are transforming the institutional landscape of marriage. Yet, the effects of these legal reforms and their implications for women’s outcomes remain poorly understood. Drawing on Demographic and Health Surveys and employing event-study designs, this talk examines the consequences of recent legislative changes in Benin, Kenya and Nigeria on the incidence of polygyny and women’s decision-making power within households. It explores the complex, often unanticipated and divergent effects of top-down legal reforms in the sphere of marriage.

A presentation by Ewa Batyra (University of Oxford).

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