Polygamy was abolished in 1964 by the new Civil Code and polygamous marriages entered into after that date would not be valid in Ivory Coast. However, all polygamous marriages entered into prior to that date are still legally recognized in the nation. The practice of polygamy may be punishable by a fine of CFA 50,000 to CFA 500,000 (US$80 to US$800) or six months to three years imprisonment.[1][2][3]
Prevalence
23% of men were in a polygynous marriage in 1988. The average polygynist man had 2.3 wives, with higher rates of polygyny found in rural areas than in Abidjan.[4] From 1955 to 1988, rates of polygyny in Ivory Coast remained fairly consistent, occurring with four out of 10 married women. There was some decline found in rural areas from the early 1960s to mid-1970s.[4]
References
- Cote d'Ivoire: Family Code Archived 2016-12-21 at the Wayback Machine
- "Ivory Coast Wives Worry Multiple Marriages May Return". Christian Science Monitor. 1996-06-12. ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved 2021-05-13.
- Ellovich, Risa S. (1985). "The Law and Ivoirian Women". Anthropos. 80 (1/3): 185–197. ISSN 0257-9774. JSTOR 40460886.
- Jacoby, Hanan G. (October 1995). "The Economics of Polygyny in Sub-Saharan Africa: Female Productivity and the Demand for Wives in Côte d'Ivoire". Journal of Political Economy. 103 (5): 943–944. doi:10.1086/262009. ISSN 0022-3808. JSTOR 2138751. OCLC 5790883311. S2CID 153376774.