208 MARRIAGE AND GENDER RELATIONS After her many years of studying African social could understand why he might be thought of favor- organization, it is her opinion that widespread in ably by his family, friends, and colleagues. They were frica is the preference for a system of cowives rather therefore somewhat shocked and dismayed when he than one where women bear children outside of mar- mentioned to the group that he was thinking about riage or where women may choose to live as childless taking a second wife. With such a charming, intelli- spinsters. In Africa, spinsterhood would be perceived rent and attractive wife at home, the students espe as very much outside the normal range of human cially could not understand why he should be contemplating this. He explained that he was getting a The anthropological literature frequently reports lot of pressure from his mother to do so because she that African cultures in fact value polygyny; however, was all alone in the rural area and needed someone to some evidence suggests that this may be primarily a help her farm. His mother also stated that there were males point of view. At a minimum, this requires us to many single women in her village who needed hus- consider a possible gender bias in this generalizatic bands, and she wanted grandchildren who would live There is evidence that women, in fact, do traditionally near or with her rather than far away in the city. This value polygyny. There is also evidence that suggests mans wife opposed the idea because she was afraid that men value it even more. There is also strong that there would then not be enough money to pay for dence that modernizing or Westernizing women most her own childrens school fees. Besides, the second likely value it not at all. We will consider some evi wife might want to come to the city to live also. He dence in this direction, since the gender question has said that he told his wife that he would make sure that occurred over and over again when polygyny is con- he stayed on the farm. One African man whe sidered in any particular cultural context. Sudarkasa matically supported monogamy stated that there was writes that before being bombarded with Western no way to guarantee that the second wife wouldnt propaganda against polygyny, African women valued want to come to the city. He stated that he might con the companionship of cowives. In fact, in one study of sider polygyny himself if he could insure that one Nigerian women conducted within the last 15 years, a would stay in the rural area, but he didn't think that majority of the women interviewed stated that they was probable would be"pleased"to have a second wife in the home For the sake of t (and because one migh (Ware 1979). The negative bias of some Western- accept the practice of polygyny under the right cir educated African women toward polygyny cannot, cumstances), the professor asked whether a"feminist" Sudarkasa emphasizes, be taken as indicative of the perspective shouldnt look favorably on this man traditional attitude toward it. On many occasions, female students from Bryn his mother, should he decide to marry a second wife. Mawr College have been taken to Uganda and Kenya, To make more salient to the students the cultural influ where they lived with families in both urban and rural ence on their negative attitudes toward polygyny, locations. When the subject of polygyny has been another dimension to our cross-cultural discussion of introduced into our"theoretical"discussions, these marriage was added. The group was asked their opin- highly educated students who, by their academic ion of two men marrying each other and adopting chil- training, are sympathe etic toward and knowledgeable dren. While the two students, in conformity with their about cultural variation, uniformly expressed unfa liberal ideology and anthropological training, felt that vorable comments concerning the practice or even the this would be perfectly reasonable, the reaction of the oncept of polygyny in our initial discussions. A con- African males present was one of stunned silence fol versation that took place in a Nairobi pub one evening lowed by asking the professor to repeat what their ears is a good illustration of the cultural gap between could not have heard correctly. When he did so, these Western-educated male and female values and East men, who had just been divided on the question of African male values concerning polygyny polygyny, laughed heartily and stated that this would Two female students had been living in the home be impossible because it was not natural. Their dise- of one of the married Kenyan men present in the pub lief and laughter at what to them was such a culturally with us. They had quickly become attached to his wife dissonant idea were still evident on the way home and children and sympathized with her when her hus- band was not present at dinnertime because, many urban Kenyan men, he stopped regularly POLYGAMY AND GENDER pub after work before going home. Nevertheless, they could see that he was a good father and provider for While there appears to be a female bias against the his family. Although not meeting their Western ideal institution of polygamy among Western-educated of the"husbandly role, they liked him very much and women, including those in Africa, there is consider-