Searching for a Fourth Wife

(Video) One of the primary motives both then and now for multiple wives is the need for sons, who will inherit the family’s estate (women, when they marry, effectively join their husband’s family). A common justification among Middle Eastern men for taking a second wife is that their first has not produced a son. Another reason is that first marriages are often arranged by families between cousins, without consent from either man or woman. A second wife can ... Full Story »

Posted by Kaizar Campwala

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U B
2.5
by U B - Mar. 9, 2009

Discusses women's lives without interviewing women. I understand why he could not interview Farid's wives, but were there no other women he could interview? I suspect their views might be different and worth reading - perhaps they would touch on safety/security/economics as possible motivations, for example. Or not - my point is just that we have no idea, because they aren't in here, as Fairweather is obviously aware. Moreover, the only two countries discussed in any detail are war-torn - surely this context matters. Finally, the video doesn't seem to square very well with the article - for example, the article ends with a mention of what Farid wants for his sons, whereas the video ends with him saying he wants his _children_ to be educated and have the freedom to make their own choices. The article doesn't also square that well with itself - for example, the article says" women are clearly treated as commodities, with little say in whom they marry" but the video suggests that at least a dozen women are exercising some agency, if they are calling Farid and asking him to take them on as wives. I am making no comment about the possibly problematic nature of this agency, only pointing out something that I found confusing.

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