Marriage In The Kpelle

All over the world, marriage is filled with traditions, many of which can be considered patriarchal. In the Netherlands, most women take their husband's last name and are 'given away' by their fathers. Is marriage truly patriarchal, and is it so everywhere? This essay will look at marriage in the Kpelle. The Kpelle are the biggest ethnic group of Liberia; just a little over 20% of the population is Kpelle. The Kpelle people can be found in Sierra Leone and Guinea as well, and have been in West-Africa since the 16th century (Erchak; 1998). Their ideal marital type is a polygynous marriage, although monogamy has become more common since the late 20th century (ibid.). This essay will look at how women navigate power through marriage in Kpelle

The polyganous marital type seems to be the symbol for women's unequal position. However, women in Kpelle society are often quite powerful before and in marriage, and this essay will thus provide a counter-narrative for women's position in marriage. I will argue that Kpelle women have a powerful position before going into marriage, largely maintain this in marriage, and have a lot of agency to create, enhance, and gain power in marriage. This essay will first provide a brief background on marriage in the Kpelle and analyze how women navigate power in marriage in the Kpelle. Afterward, I will discuss the representation of marriage in media and development discourse, and present certain arguments in favor and against the theory presented in this essay. I will conclude with my opinions and thoughts on this topic and the development thereof, and a brief summary of this

Bledsoe (1976:372) describes that men want to marry to improve their position by having access to women's production and reproduction. Women marry for male labor or wealth, which often goes to her family. From this perspective, it becomes immediately clear that women hold power that men need to improve their social position. Women do not simply marry because they have no capital and need a provider, but it is rather a mutually beneficial exchange that both parties need. Since women do the majority of agricultural work and domestic work, men gain power by marrying as many women as possible (Bledsoe, 1976:376). Since the husband legally gets the outcomes of the productive and reproductive services of the wife, he needs to have a wife to gain power and wealth. Although this patrilineal ownership is not an indication of great legal rights for women in marriage, it does give women the bargaining chip to socially negotiate power. Since men do not produce themselves, their position in society and wealth are largely dependent on marrying. (Bledsoe; 1976:377). A Kpelle man's power is also dependent on his children. They can work for him, and thereby generate income. However, a man's children are only legally his if they are from marriage. Considering this, it appears that for man's social position it is crucial to marry and thus women hold some power in negotiating marriage