Effects of Socio-Economic and Demographic Factors on the Prevalence of Consanguineous Marriages in Pakistan

Abstract

Children born to parents having blood relation are prone to higher risk of health disorders relating to genetic inheritance. Cousin marriage is a deep rooted social tradition in Pakistan. Ratio of consanguineous marriage to non-consanguineous marriages is almost 2 to 1 (67% for PDHS, 2006-07 and 65.4% for PDHS, 2012- 13). Purpose of this study is to examine the trend and correlates of cousin marriage in Pakistan. Analysis is carried on data from Pakistan Demographic and Health Surveys (PDHS) conducted during 2006-07 and 2012-13, using Binary Logistic Regression. Results indicate that education of women, place of residence, education of husband; region, ethnicity and age at first marriage have a significant effect on prevalence of cousin marriage. More or less similar results, regarding significance of factors and nature of their influence, are obtained from both surveys. Cousin marriage is more prevalent among families residing in Punjab and Sindh as compared to those living in Baluchistan. Finally, it is concluded that modernization factors such as increase in women’s educational attainment, urbanization, and increase in age at marriage can cause a decline in the trend of cousin marriage in Pakistan.