A Feminist and Polygamous Reading of Lola Shoneyin’s the Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives

There are contradictions and hidden power dynamics within patriarchal polygamous households, particularly in how women’s identities and values are socially constructed around fertility and motherhood, while their agency and resistance remain obscured under patriarchal authority. This study presents a feminist analysis of The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives, arguing that the novel offers a profound critique of patriarchy that transcends a simplistic good-versus-evil framework. It examines how the text establishes and subsequently subverts the patriarchal structure of a polygamous household, where a woman’s worth is tied to her fertility. The analysis focuses on the character of Bolanle, the fourth wife and a university graduate, whose infertility becomes a destabilizing force that exposes long-concealed truths within the family. The study further explores the complex relationships among the wives, highlighting a transition from rivalry to a form of collective solidarity grounded in shared oppression and a mutual effort to conceal the truth. Central to the argument is the revelation of Baba Segi’s infertility, which fundamentally reframes the narrative by exposing the fragility of male authority and presenting the women as strategic actors who have long subverted patriarchal control. The paper also interrogates the concept of motherhood, portraying it as a socially constructed source of power rather than a purely biological condition. The study concludes that Shoneyin’s novel celebrates female agency and resilience, offering a nuanced perspective on how women navigate, resist, and redefine their identities within oppressive social systems.