Cousin weddings

Cousin weddings

In Pakistan, half of the people marry their first or second cousin, more than in any other country. In rural areas this could be 80%, said Hafeez ur Rehman, a biologist at Quaid-Azam University in Islamabad. Immigrants from these regions sometimes observe these customs.

 The culture in all these countries is the same, he told BMJ, as marriage within a close family ensures that wealth remains in the family. Partners will have the same socioeconomic status and similar family cultures. A good relationship may already exist between the parents of the husband and the wife. And divorce rates are believed to be lower. In our culture, loving-kindness is not to be taken for granted, even though young, educated people are increasingly choosing to do so.

1 Benefits

The study was conducted through surveys to understand why Pakistan has the highest rate of cousin marriages in the world. Many Pakistani couples who support traditional weddings felt that their daughter would be better off if her in-laws were part of the same family. Some felt that in-laws would understand the financial problems and postpone lobola payments if necessary.

In 2010, a study was conducted on the “Watta Satta”, a common practice involving the exchange of brides between two families. This study had surprising results as it concluded that the effects of marriage in rural Pakistan were better in the "Watta Satta" scenario.

Less than 10% of married women were opposed to cousin marriage and many believed that partner relationships were stronger and the risk of divorce decreased in joint marriages.

2 Evil

Joint marriage has been linked to an increasing number of child deaths and many other illnesses ranging from adults to high blood pressure and myocardial infarction to cancer and schizophrenia.

Although the risk of genetic defects is often associated with cousin marriages, a recent study conducted at Yale revealed that these medical problems are caused by other confusing factors such as low socioeconomic status and low education profiles are also common in these families. But even after considering these factors, the genetic rate in the offspring of cousins ​​remains 3.3 percent higher compared to unrelated parents.

Many cultures forbid the marriage of a cousin, not only because of health problems but also because there are moral values ​​that treat a cousin as brothers and sisters, thus equating cousin marriages and incest.

3 Facts and figures

The debate over in-law marriages may be meaningless in the future as it is proposed that the level of intermarriage should be significantly lower in the future. The main reason for this is that couples today are very careful about family planning. This will reduce the birth rate and the birth rate, which will mean that in the future, all families will have a smaller number of children, which will mean that a smaller number of cousins ​​will be available for marriage.

Often, marriage decisions are based on emotion rather than on scientific facts. Families of the bride and groom look at many things before they get married, but genetic modification is not one of them. The concept of premarital genetic testing does not exist and any subsequent disease is said to have been created rather than a preventable condition.

Keeping this in mind, convincing ordinary people about the medical risks of incest is not an easy task. Educational campaigns should be targeted at families with a significant family history of genetic defects to help prevent others from making the same mistake.

4 Reasons

In Pakistan, a cousin's marriage is legal and normal. Reasons for meeting people for economic, religious, and cultural reasons. Data collected in 2014 in the Malakand region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province (KPK), Pakistan showed that about 66.4% of marriages between rural couples were first or second cousins. Elsewhere, the high number of first-cousin marriages in Pakistan has been cited as a factor in the increase in blood disorders.

The real reasons given for choosing interracial marriages are primarily public. In societies with high levels of social cohesion, social studies suggest that marriage may force couples to coexist because of the high compatibility between husband and wife who have the same social relations after marriage as well as premarital sex. members.

5 Disability

The main reason for the neglect of cohabitation marriages stems from medical research that has identified a high level of genetic predisposition and serious illness in children of biological parents. The scientific explanation behind this is based on limited genetic makeup. Many congenital diseases are caused by mutations in genes. Mutations in one gene may not completely cure the disease but in combination with two genes, it can lead to complete loss. These defective genes may be present in families that increase the risk of genetic predisposition. Therefore, the risk of birth defects is repeated in children of both cousins ​​with similar genetic mutations.

If a child receives a genetic predisposition to the disease from both parents the child will not have it or carry the disease. There is one chance in four for this to happen.