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Happy Ever After? The Marriage Market as a Source of Societal Instability
[Arbeitspapier]
Körperschaftlicher Herausgeber
German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA) - Leibniz-Institut für Globale und Regionale Studien, Institut für Afrika-Studien
Abstract There is a long-standing idea that societies with too many men, particularly young and single men - the so-called "bare branches" - have a tendency for vice, risk-taking and violence, ultimately threatening social order and stability.
Marriage is an important marker for adulthood across the globe. ... mehr
There is a long-standing idea that societies with too many men, particularly young and single men - the so-called "bare branches" - have a tendency for vice, risk-taking and violence, ultimately threatening social order and stability.
Marriage is an important marker for adulthood across the globe. Yet, participation in the marriage market - looking for a spouse and forming a union - in sub-Saharan Africa is constrained, and the marriage market is an important institution shaping and maintaining inequality in income and opportunities.
Traditional marriage practices, such as that of polygyny, where one man is married to more than one woman at the same time, are still prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa and lead to a situation where some men, particularly the young, struggle to find a wife and start a family.
Having more men than women in the marriage market gives rise to competition amongst men, spurring frustration and anger among those that struggle to find a bride. The imbalance between men and women in the marriage market has been associated with increasing rebel attacks and intergroup conflict in the region. Hence, there is a palpable need to pay more attention to the marriage market, particularly in sub-Saharan African countries, many of which are already struggling with political and societal instability.
A more complete characterisation of the marriage market and its actors is necessary to better understand the underlying forces that cause young and unmarried men to gravitate towards violence.
Governments must begin to recognise the importance of the marriage market as an institution perpetrating injustices and economic grievances. At the same time, targeted strategies need to be developed that recognise and address perceived inequalities and thus pre-empt promises by extremist groups, who exploit the relative dearth of brides as a recruitment strategy. Targeted information campaigns and appeals are only short-term solutions. Direct interventions in the marriage market might encounter pushback. New ways of thinking based on deeper research may be required.... weniger
Thesaurusschlagwörter
Afrika südlich der Sahara; Geschlechterverhältnis; Lebensgemeinschaft; Partnerbeziehung; Ehe; Ehefrau; Ehemann; Ehepartner; Ehepaar; Heirat; Bedeutung; Geschlechtsrolle; Männerbild; Alleinstehender; sozialer Status; soziales Verhalten; Aggressivität; Gewaltkriminalität; Kriminalität; traditionelle Kultur; Familie; soziale Beziehungen; Äthiopien; Kenia; Nigeria; Simbabwe; Burkina Faso; Elfenbeinküste; Senegal; Brasilien; China; Bundesrepublik Deutschland
Klassifikation
Familiensoziologie, Sexualsoziologie
Ethnologie, Kulturanthropologie, Ethnosoziologie
Sprache Dokument
Englisch
Publikationsjahr
2022
Erscheinungsort
Hamburg
Seitenangabe
9 S.
Schriftenreihe
GIGA Focus Afrika, 4
DOI
https://doi.org/10.57671/gfaf-22042
ISSN
1862-3603
Status
Veröffentlichungsversion; begutachtet
Lizenz
Creative Commons - Namensnennung, Keine Bearbeitung 3.0