ars ely - pop ulated ▁regions ▁where ▁sh ifting ▁cultiv ation ▁takes ▁place ▁in ▁Africa , ▁women ▁do ▁much ▁of ▁the ▁work . ▁This ▁fav ours ▁pol yg am ous ▁mar ri ages ▁in ▁which ▁men ▁seek ▁to ▁mon opol ize ▁the ▁production ▁of ▁women ▁" who ▁are ▁val ued ▁both ▁as ▁workers ▁and ▁as ▁child ▁bear ers ". ▁Go ody ▁however , ▁obser ves ▁that ▁the ▁correlation ▁is ▁imper fect ▁and ▁varied , ▁and ▁also ▁discuss es ▁more ▁tradition ally ▁male - domin ated ▁though ▁relatively ▁extensive ▁far ming ▁systems ▁such ▁as ▁those ▁that ▁exist ▁in ▁much ▁of ▁West ▁Africa , ▁especially ▁in ▁the ▁West ▁African ▁sav anna , ▁where ▁more ▁agricult ural ▁work ▁is ▁done ▁by ▁men , ▁and ▁where ▁pol yg yn y ▁is ▁desired ▁by ▁men ▁more ▁for ▁the ▁generation ▁of ▁male ▁off spring ▁whose ▁labor ▁is ▁val ued . ▁ ▁Anth rop olog ists ▁Douglas ▁R . ▁White ▁and ▁Michael ▁L . ▁Bur ton ▁discuss ▁and ▁support ▁Jack ▁Go ody ' s ▁observation ▁regarding ▁African ▁male ▁far ming ▁systems ▁in ▁" C aus es ▁of ▁Pol yg yn y : ▁E col ogy , ▁Econom y , ▁Kin ship , ▁and ▁War fare " ▁where ▁these ▁authors ▁note : ▁▁▁ ▁An ▁analysis ▁by ▁James ▁F ens ke ▁( 2 0 1 2 ) ▁found ▁that ▁child ▁mort ality ▁and ▁e colog ically - related ▁economic ▁shock s ▁had ▁a ▁significant ▁association ▁with ▁rates ▁of ▁pol yg amy ▁in ▁subs ah aran ▁Africa , ▁rather ▁than ▁female ▁agricult ural