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ISLAMABAD: Cousin marriages remain common in Punjab, with nearly six in every 10 ever-married women having married a blood relative, but the practice declines significantly as the education level of both women and men increases, according to a new Gallup Pakistan analysis.
The Gallup Pakistan Digital Analytics study, based on data from the Punjab Household Panel Survey (PHPS) Baseline, analysed responses from 18,599 ever-married women across the province. It found that 61.7 per cent of women had married a blood relative, while nearly half of all marriages (49 per cent) were between first cousins.
Among first-cousin marriages, 27 per cent were between paternal first cousins, commonly referred to as children of a father’s brother or sister, while 22 per cent were between maternal first cousins, including the children of a mother’s brother or sister.
The analysis found education to be one of the strongest factors associated with lower rates of cousin marriage. Among women with no formal education, 69 per cent had married a blood relative, compared to 48 per cent among women with higher education. A similar pattern was observed among men, with higher educational attainment linked to lower levels of consanguineous marriages.
The survey also identified a strong relationship between age at marriage and cousin marriages. Women who married before the age of 16 had the highest prevalence of marriages within the family at 72 per cent. The proportion gradually declined with increasing age at marriage, reaching 51 per cent among women who married at the age of 26 years or later.
Geographical differences were also evident. The prevalence of marriages among blood relatives was considerably higher in rural Punjab, where 65.7 per cent of women reported marrying within the family, compared with 54 per cent in urban areas.
According to the report, the findings suggest that improved access to education and delayed marriages are associated with a gradual decline in the practice of cousin marriages in Punjab.
Medical experts have long cautioned that marriages between close blood relatives may increase the risk of certain inherited genetic disorders in children, although the level of risk depends on the family’s medical history and other genetic factors.
The report suggests that expanding educational opportunities, raising public awareness and discouraging child and early marriages could further reduce the prevalence of consanguineous marriages in the province.
