The nation of Benin recognizes polygamous marriages neither by civil law nor by customary law. Polygamy was permitted until 2004 when it was formally abolished.[1] After the intake of the current constitution, polygamous marriages were constitutionally banned in the country.[2] However, polygamous marriages contracted prior to the ban are still legally recognized by the government.[1]
The share of polygamous marriages in Benin is at 23.5% of all marriages. Polygamy is more common in rural areas compared to urban areas (27.4% versus 18.8%).[3] This share is the lowest in Littoral Department with 8.9% and the highest in Couffo Department with 40.0%.
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Benin: Family Code". SIGI. Archived from the original on Jul 1, 2010.
- ^ Rotman, Anna, Benin's Constitutional Court: an Institutional Model for Guaranteeing Human Rights, archived from the original on Sep 28, 2011
- ^ Principaux Indicateurs Socio Demographiques. Et Economiques. (RGPH-4, 2013) (PDF), Institut national de la statistique et de l'analyse économique, February 2016, archived from the original (PDF) on Jan 19, 2022