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Life Sciences

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

1999

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Community Perceptions Of Reasons For Preference For Consanguineous Marriages In Pakistan, R. Hussain Jan 1999

Community Perceptions Of Reasons For Preference For Consanguineous Marriages In Pakistan, R. Hussain

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Although the recent Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) show that two-thirds of marriages in Pakistan are consanguineous, the sociocultural determinants of such marriages remain largely unexplored. This paper examines the relative importance of the three commonly perceived reasons for such marriages: religious, economic and cultural. The analysis is based on qualitative data collected in 1995 from multi-ethnic and multireligious communities in Karachi, the largest city of Pakistan. Results show that consanguineous marriages are preferred across all ethnic and religious groups to a varying degree, and that parents continue to be the prime decision-makers for marriages of both sons and …


Consanguineous Marriage And Differentials In Age At Marriage, Contraceptive Use And Fertility In Pakistan, R. Hussain, A. H. Bittles Jan 1999

Consanguineous Marriage And Differentials In Age At Marriage, Contraceptive Use And Fertility In Pakistan, R. Hussain, A. H. Bittles

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Fertility rates in Pakistan have remained consistently high over the past three decades. While numerous studies have examined sociodemographic determinants, the role of biological factors, and particularly consanguinity, has received little attention, even though marriage between close biological relatives continues to be the norm in Pakistan. Reproductive behaviour among women in consanguineous (first cousin) and non-consanguineous unions was compared, using data from a 1995 study of multi-ethnic communities in Karachi and the 1990–91 Pakistan Demographic & Health Survey (PDHS). The results show that, although female age at first marriage has been gradually rising in both study samples, women in consanguineous …