A West African Female Perspective on Polygyny. A Thematic Analysis

van Wyk, Frances Megan (2018) A West African Female Perspective on Polygyny. A Thematic Analysis. Manchester Metropolitan University. (Unpublished)

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Abstract

This study had the intention of exploring the perspectives of Malian women towards the topic of polygyny. This was achieved through a mixed methodological approach; ethnographic interviews and skype. Six Malian females with a broad knowledge of Malian culture, three of whom still live in Mali and three of whom have immigrated to the UK, participated. These individuals were selected using purposive sampling. After conducting semi-structured interviews, which allowed participants to reflect on their experiences, thematic analysis was used to analyse interview transcripts. By coding the data, identifying the main areas of discussion was made possible. This resulted in three core themes: ‘Educational influence’, ‘Whose choice is it?’ and ‘Jealousy’ which was broken down into three subthemes: Jealousy in Urban Mali’, ‘Jealousy in Rural Mali’ and ‘Equality’. These themes highlight the experiences of the participants and the direction each interview took.