Bound by Tradition or Torn by Emotion? The Silent Struggles Behind Cousin Marriages in Pakistan
Cousin Marriages in Pakistan: Tradition, Assumptions, and Ignored Realities
When we hear about cousin marriages, most people immediately think about the health risks involved. While it’s true that these marriages can lead to certain genetic issues, the reality is not that simple. People are often aware of the health risks. However, many other reasons make them choose or accept this practice despite the concerns.
Pakistani cultures accept cousin marriages widely. This is true regardless of education, residence area, or the cultural backgrounds of those involved. Cultural, economic, and social forces influence this preference. However, the drawbacks of this practice are not easily noticeable especially since health risks are among them.
Cousin marriages:
The blog discusses the cultural logic and assumptions behind the phenomenon. It also uncovers the hidden realities using anthropological theories and examples from Pakistan.
Why are cousin marriages preferred in Pakistan?
Strengthening Relationships
Supporters of cousin marriages believe these unions strengthen family ties and keep cultural traditions alive. In Pakistan’s close-knit family structure, marrying within the family helps protect wealth, land, and family values. For example, in early Pakistan, families often married their children to cousins to strengthen family ties and navigate changing political and economic conditions regarding property (Gazdar, 2007).
Bronislaw Malinowski’s Cultural Functionalism helps us with this practice as a way to fulfill the needs of both individuals and society. Entrenched for preserving social and economic relations, cousin marriages also play the role of a safety net in cases, for example, of the displaced 1947 Partition, when many families became reunited in the name of kinship (Malinowski, 1944).
Caste and Sect Dynamics
In Pakistani culture, marriages between individuals of different castes or sects are generally not accepted by the majority. As discussed in a previous blog about the significance of culture in Pakistani society [https://contropulse.com/beyond-economics-unpacking-the-roots-of-inequality-in-pakistan/], traditions and customs play a vital role in shaping social norms and practices. Terms such as nasali (strong lineage) and be-nasal (weaker lineage) refer to the preservation of the purity of the bloodline (Shah, 2016). For instance, in Punjab and Sindh provinces, feudal families favor cousin marriages to protect the agricultural fields and political power existing in certain landowning elites (Alavi, 1972).
This is linked to Claude Levi-Strauss’s Structuralism which as an anthropologist conclusively asserts that kinship and marriage choices are culture’s tools to maintain structures. In the three cases we have analyzed cousin marriages keep family wealth and power within a small circle, pointing to why Lévi-Strauss pointed to this structure as the rationale behind cousin marriages.
Economic Considerations
People involving cousin marriages regard them as an economic reason, especially in protecting against dowry. The families do agree with the fact that marrying a daughter to a cousin will cost them less financially (Ali et al., 2001). However, social facts that have transpired in the past regarding the cease of relation between the two people can be seen as dowry expectations were inevitable even in cousin marriages due to pressures of culture as evidenced in the socio-economical difficulties experienced during the period of separation between East Pakistan and other regions in 1971 as detailed by Saikia (2004).
Security for Daughters
They believe that cousin marries safeguard their daughters from the turbulent world and make them happy. The thought behind it is that some needy people are much better off being cared for by relatives who will not take advantage of them or otherwise mistreat them(Qureshi, 2013). For instance, as industrialization started in the 1960s in Pakistan many families preferred cousin marriage for their daughter’s security in a changing society and emerging multicultural city life(Gazdar, 2007).
The Effects of Cousin Marriages on People
Health Risks in Cousin Marriages
Another disadvantage of cousin marriages is very disadvantageous and that is because there is an increased prevalence of genetic disorders. Consanguinity in Pakistan has resulted in a high incidence of thalassemia, congenital abnormalities, and metabolic disorders (Hussain & Bittles,2000).
Case Example:
A study by Ahmed et al (2015) found that families involved in consanguineous marriages were more likely to have children with Genetic disorders. The study focused on families with inherited disorders like beta-thalassemia and congenital heart diseases. These conditions were found to be more common in consanguineous families than in non-consanguineous ones. This happens because close family members share similar genes. Therefore, if both parents are carriers, there are high chance that their child will inherit a recessive gene. If both parents are carriers, there is a high chance their child will inherit a recessive gene. As a result, parents are financially stressed as they struggle to provide the necessary care.
Ahmed et al also highlighted the need for health promotion and screening among high-risk populations. They also emphasized counseling couples for premarital molecular screening as a preventive procedure. This study emphasizes that certain cultural practices, though accepted, can negatively impact health. It argues that these practices, when carried out without adequate information on the effects, can have long-term impacts on the physical well-being of a community.
Unrealistic Assumptions in Cousin Marriages
There is the notion that marrying a cousin guarantees one lucky and happy family; in fact, this is usually a myth. Family relations, first, help to create a feeling of protection and togetherness but after that, things like favoritism, quarrels over inheritance, and conflicts can harm the relationships (Shah, 2016).
However, in many circumstances in Pakistan, those very family bonds act as a cushion upon which the couples can overcome the strains of marriage and continue with their married life even where conflict arises. Such a dynamic emphasizes that family is a unification factor, yet it might be also the cause of conflict occasionally.
Case Example:
In Rawalpindi, one of the respondents reported an arranged cousin marriage which led to a divorce because of problems in inheritance. The groom’s family-focused only on their son’s property, including family assets. They did not consider that the bride deserved a share as well. This led to so much conflict between the couple resulting in preference and unfair treatment by the husband. The arising friction not only led to the breakdown of the marriage but also strained other aspects of family relations as it showed the trials under the subjugation of family financial priorities over conjugal contentment. Gazdar (2007) discusses this case effectively showing how forced cousin marriages not only stir up conflicts in big families but also try to maintain the cohesiveness of the family.
Economic Myths
Culture as a reason for the perception that cousin marriages reduce dowry pressures is most of the time misplaced. As a result, fixed and fluctuating demands are usually experienced by many families to retain status in the extended kin network (Ali et al., 2001).
Case Example:
In Karachi, middle-class marriage puts much financial pressure on the young due to compulsory cousin marriage. The groom’s family insisted on having elaborate features on the wedding and the dowry was exorbitant to uphold the position in the social networks of the lineal relatives. This case contradicted another belief that cousin marriages cut costs as it pointed out how materialistic expense can put pressure on families, particularly of the urban type. Following this line of argumentation, Saikia (2004) reiterates how such practices show the existing conflict between familial culture and economic factors that young middle-class families endure.
Pressure on Youth
The young generation especially young women are under much pressure to conform to the tradition of cousin marriages. This limits their opportunities and submits them to a patriarchal culture (Qureshi, 2013). Cousin marriages often reflect the influence of family elders, especially made members, in deciding marriages. In many cases, women have little say in these decisions. Family honor and unity are considered more important than their personal preferences. Some see these marriages as a way to maintain harmony. However, they can lead to conflicts, especially over inheritance or property issues within families.
Case Example: Saima, or 19-year-old full name to protect her identity, is an aspiring student from a rural area near Multan similarly to continue the family bloodline she was married off to her cousin. However, as expected, major dissimilarities in personality and goal orientation manifested themselves immediately, which created problems with expectations of being a wife and having no desire to be chained to a home and raise children. Disagreements over property rights regarding inheritance, and the use of dowry made the relationship worse making Saima feel alone and mentally harassed.
After two years of suffering an unhappy toxic marriage, the young mother decided to file for divorce as she had a resentment-filled marriage with Mohsin Onsa but she encountered resistance from her family with the shame of being a divorced woman. explores the effect of cousin marriages and stress levels and marital unhappiness arising from union without consideration of compatibility. It makes the need to encourage people to make wise decisions on marriage, self-rule, and the mental effects of compelled rites (Gazdar, 2007).
Sociocultural Dynamics
Report on Media and Changing Perceptions
Finally, Pakistani popular media has started to create awareness regarding cousin marriages. Televised dramas and films depict real-life adverse effects of forced marriage as an agenda of discussion. For instance, the drama serial ‘Udaari’ [https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3GA5XA3t60k&t=4s] described the risks of not considering women’s freedom in marriage selections (Shamsie, 2016).
Generational Shifts
The generation raised after the fall of the USSR, exposed to different cultures through school and the Internet, faces significant pressure on sexual traditions. Many youths in Pakistan support choosing their partners and, as a result, divorce for love rather than family pressure(Javed, 2020). As more people move to cities and gain access to education, attitudes towards cousin marriages are beginning to change. Many young people, especially in urban areas, are questioning whether this practice still fits in modern society. However, in rural areas, cousin marriages remain common, showing the divide between traditional and modern lifestyles in Pakistan.
Reassessing the Practice
Cousin marriages while symbolizing cultural and historical traits, should be reexamined in the modern world. Awareness campaigns, like those by NGOs after the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, highlight how information on health hazards and gender equality can transform traditional views. Relieving social expectations and encouraging rational decisions are important measures to effect better changes in marital behavior.
Conclusion
Through its charitable, pragmatic, and cohesiveness perspective, cousin relationships are thus part of the Pakistani cultural fabric. However, the assumed benefits focus on crucial issues including health risks associated with genes, family, and social tensions. From the anthropological point of view, these traditions are culturally meaningful, yet they fail to respond adequately to the contemporary situation.
However, to defuse the role of culture, it is important to teach the public about other problems of cousin marriages. Living conditions and population demographics change urge discussions that ensure personal autonomy, rational choices, and safety. It is high time for Pakistan to redefine these values to respect its culture and legacy, but the future of the nation can be progressive and focus on empathy.
References
https://bmcwomenshealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12905-022-01704-2
https://www.counselling-directory.org.uk/articles/the-truth-about-first-cousin-marriages-in-pakistan
https://www.dw.com/en/pakistan-cousin-marriages-create-high-risk-of-genetic-disorders/a-60687452
https://www.bmj.com/content/365/bmj.l1851
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25656351
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_Pakistan
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