Polygynous Unions and Intimate Partner Violence in Nigeria: An Examination of the Role of Selection

• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.12570
• Published date: 01 August 2019
• Date: 01 August 2019

J A. B Northwestern University

Polygynous Unions and Intimate Partner Violence in

Nigeria: An Examination of the Role of Selection

Objective: This article explores the association

between polygyny and intimate partner violence

(IPV) in Nigeria, with attention to selection into

polygyny.

Background: Although IPV occurs within

the social context of a family, the linkages

between polygyny and IPV are rarely interro-

gated, and there is little attempt to differentiate

between “polygyny effects” and “selection

effects.”

Method: This article uses a sample of 19,189

couples from the 2013 Nigeria Demographic

Health Survey to conduct (a) a multivariate

analysis of the characteristics that predict selec-

tion into polygyny, (b) a propensityscore match-

ing analysis of the association between polygyny

and IPV, and (c) a Rosenbaum bounds analysis

to assess hidden bias that might affect both selec-

tion into polygyny and IPV.

Results: People who entered polygy-

nous unions were different on observed

characteristics—including relative status

of husbands and wives coming into the union,

education, religion, and ethnicity—than those

who entered monogamous unions. Polygynywas

associated with higher probabilities of women’s

reports of recentphysical and emotional IPV, net

of observed differences; however, a Rosenbaum

bounds analysis indicated that it was highly

Department of Sociology and Institute for Policy Research,

Northwestern University,1810 Chicago Avenue, Evanston,

IL 60208 (julia.behrman@northwestern.edu).

Key Words: couples, domestic violence, family structure,

intimate partner violence, mate selection.

plausible unobserved selectivity into polygyny

helped account for these associations.

Conclusion: It is important to move beyond

viewing polygyny as a “risk factor” for IPV

and toward understanding how selection

into marriage is an important social pro-

cess with implications for IPV, health,

and well-being.

I

Intimate partner violence (IPV) impacts

the health and well-being of women and their

families around the globe (Heise, Ellsberg, &

Gottmoeller, 2002). IPV is associated with risks

of sexually transmitted infection transmission

and mental-health disorders in women, elevated

maternal and infant morbidity and mortality, and

adverse reproductive health outcomes (Bove &

Valeggia, 2009; Durevall & Lindskog, 2015;

Rees et al., 2011; Sharps, Laughon, & Gian-

grande, 2016). Although IPV occurs within the

social context of a family, the linkages between

polygyny (the practice of men marrying more

than one wife) and IPV have been rarely inter-

rogated. Although polygyny has been cited as

a “risk factor” for IPV (Abramsky et al., 2011;

Jewkes, Levin, & Penn-Kekana, 2002; Kara-

magi, Tumwine, Tylleskar, & Heggenhougen,

2006), in these analyses polygyny is treated as

one of many covariate controls rather than an

analytically interesting focus of analysis. As

a result, there is little attempt to differentiate

between “polygyny effects” and “selection

effects.” For example, it may not be that polyg-

yny as an institution leads to higher levels of

IPV, but that people with lower socioeconomic

Journal of Marriage and Family 81 (August 2019): 905–919 905

DOI:10.1111/jomf.12570