An article posted on DW’s website in late August last year notes that for some years now, polygamous marriages have been on the rise in Tajikistan, likely due to the growing influence of religion and the mass exodus of young men abroad.
High poverty rates and a tough job market have contributed to nearly 1 million of the country's approximately 9 million citizens finding employment outside of Tajikistan.
Their remittances are a key source of income for many families and make up roughly 20-30% of the country’s GDP, according to data from the World Bank and World Economic Forum.
This is one reason why many divorced Tajik women appear to support the right of men to marry multiple times: polygamous marriages are mainly sought by high- and middle-income men and many women see this as their only way to secure financial security for themselves and their children.
Though the state does not recognize polygamous marriages, Sharia law allows Muslim men to have multiple wives. These unions are consecrated by a mullah without the marriage being officially registered with the state.
According to activist and psychologist Firouza Mirzoyeva from the Tajik organization Public Health and Human Rights, there are several reasons polygamy is becoming more widespread. Women are willing to become second, third or fourth wives to make their private lives socially acceptable, she said.
"It also has a material aspect. For many rural women who haven't received higher education — and some don't even have a high school diploma — to belong, so to say, to a man, is the only way to survive financially."
Activist Mirzoyeva pointed to the Khatlon and Sughd provinces as examples. There, girls are reportedly prepared for matrimony from an early age, while education is considered "superfluous."
Many marriages would give women "security" and provide them with a certain status, she said: “Society has a negative attitude toward unmarried and divorced women and considers them 'old maids.' Even if a woman is successful and independent, society does not approve.”
Being a second or third wife comes with limited rights and the associated social stigma. Without the official registration of a marriage, women in these types of relationships have no legal protections or property rights.
“If children are born in such a marriage and they are registered in the father's name, only they can expect any financial support or inheritance,” activist Mirzoyeva told DW.
Polygamous marriages pose significant risks for women, especially if the husband leaves or dies, as there is then no one left to care for the wife or her children. "A whole generation of children born in such marriages is tainted with society's prejudices," Mirzoyeva said.
First wives often view second marriages negatively, though they are forced to put up with it because of their financial dependence on their husbands.
Mirzoyeva notes that the Tajik authorities also turn a blind eye to many marriages because they fear that countermeasures could mean a path to an economic abyss for many women.
"If serious attempts were made to change the situation, many women would slip below the poverty line, which would lead to some being forced into prostitution," she said.
"Even if some of them could earn enough money for an independent existence this way, they would not be accepted in society."
