Polygamy in Displacement: A Study of Rohingya Refugee Practices in Bangladesh

This research focuses on the polygamous practices of the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, exploring how displacement and life in the refugee camps have affected the community’s marital practices and gender relations. Although polygamy is practiced within the context of Rohingya culture, the reasons why it has been practiced underwent a significant change due to forced migration, economic decline, and disruptions to established social order. Conducting ethnographic research in the form of interviews with refugees, community leaders, and aid workers, the study examines the socio-political and religious factors that support polygamous marriages in the camps. This research shows that the practice of polygamy tends to be greatly influenced by uncertainty; it aids in easing some social burdens on women while granting men the ability to meet socially defined roles. While providing some benefits, these practices heighten intra-family conflict, gender and socially structured inequality, and mental suffering. The research calls attention to humanitarian initiatives that inform policy and programming using culture methodologies that consider the gendered realities of displacement.