Woman-to-woman marriage a vanishing tradition in Africa

OLD CUSTOM

- BRIGHT ALOZIE

MARRIAGE in West Africa has played a central role in shaping aspects of society and has evolved over time.

While traditional heterosexual unions dominate discussions, a lesser-known but significant practice-woman-to-woman marriage — has existed for centuries.

I examined this institution, which allows a woman to assume the role of a husband by marrying another woman. There’s evidence of woman-to-woman marriage in more than 40 societies across West Africa, including the Igbo of Nigeria, the Frafra of Ghana and the Dahomeans of present-day Benin.

How it works is that a woman - often wealthy or of high status — pays a bride price and takes on a wife who is expected to bear children. A male relative or chosen partner, known as the genitor, fathers the children. The children will legally belong to the female husband and are considered part of her lineage. This reinforces kinship structures, or family ties within traditional communities and clans, vital to West African societies.

Unlike romantic same-sex unions, these are social contracts. They aim to preserve lineage, secure inheritance, and enhance a woman's economic and political agency.

Female husbands gain control over property by assuming the role of head of household. This enables them to own and manage assets independently, a right typically reserved for men.