| Title: |
Intensive Kinship, Development, and Demography: Why Pakistan has the Highest Rates of Cousin Marriage in the World. |
| Authors: |
Shenk, Mary K. (AUTHOR), Naz, Saman (AUTHOR), Chaudhry, Theresa (AUTHOR) |
| Source: |
Population & Development Review. Dec2024, Vol. 50 Issue 4, p1045-1090. 46p. |
| Abstract: |
Pakistan has the highest rates of consanguinity in the world, with nearly two‐thirds marrying cousins. To understand this pattern, we adopt the theoretical framework of intensive and extensive kinship that allows us to predict correlates of consanguineous marriages and logically connect patterns in Pakistan with those in other regions. Using data from the Punjab Consanguinity Survey, we examine indicators of economic development, fertility, cultural norms, and marriage payments as potential correlates of cousin marriage. Consistent with the intensive kinship framework, we find that number of cousins, parental consanguinity, spousal proximity, and caste or clan endogamy are associated with higher likelihood of consanguinity. In contrast, the likelihood of cousin marriage decreases with extensive kinship indicators including husband's education, co‐education, and large wedding expenditures. For women, cousin marriages are often "marrying down" financially, keeping women's wealth in the family. Comparison of Pakistan to other countries highlights the importance of low levels of literacy and female education, high fertility, and rapid population growth. We conclude that high rates of cousin marriage persist in Pakistan due to slow economic development which maintains motivations for cooperation with kin, and high fertility rates which sustain the large numbers of cousins that enable high levels of consanguinity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
|
Copyright of Population & Development Review is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
| Database: |
Business Source Complete |
