Consanguinal Marriages in Pakistan:A Tradition or A Cutural Politics and Possible Management Measures?

Abstract

Abstract: Marriage, a holy bond between a man and a woman, has been celebrated for the longest time in all cultures and religions. Marriage is an indispensable starting point for family life. Pakistani society has always been a very complicated one, with many different castes and ethnic groups. Marriage pattern and marriage considerations vary from caste to caste but overall, is not the person rather the culture which decides when and whom to marry? Preferably marriages are arranged within the kin group. In Pakistan, cross-cousin and parallel-cousin marriages are both common. According to the recent Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (DHS), two-thirds of marriages in Pakistan are consanguineous, but the socio-cultural determinants of such marriages remain largely unexplored. In our culture, parents continue to be the prime decision-makers for marriages of both sons and daughters and individual consent is not given much priority. Consanguineous marriages are preferred among many ethnic groups particularly among sayyed, and Rajputs……and many others for a variety of socio-cultural reasons. This paper examines the relative importance of consanguineous marital unions with the help of qualitative anthropological data. Key words: Marriage; Pakistan; religion; Socio-cultural; Cutural PoliticsResume: Le mariage, un lien sacre entre un homme et une femme, a toujours ete celebree dans toutes les cultures et les religions. Le mariage est un point de depart indispensable pour la vie familiale. la societe pakistanaise a toujours ete tres compliquee, avec beaucoup de differentes castes et groupes ethniques. Le modele du mariage et les considerations de mariage varient de caste a caste mais apres tout , ce n'est pas la personne mais la culture qui decide quand et avec qui se marier? De preference, les mariages sont arranges dans le groupe de parente. Au Pakistan, les mariages entre cousine croisee et la cousine parallele sont a la fois commune. Selon les recentes donnees demographiques du Pakistan et de sante (EDS), les deux tiers des mariages sont consanguins au Pakistan, mais les determinants socio-culturels de ces mariages restent largement inexplorees. Dans notre culture, les parents continuent d'etre les premiers decideurs pour les mariages de deux fils et filles et le consentement individuel n'est pas une priorite. Mariages consanguins sont preferes parmi de nombreux groupes ethniques, en particulier parmi les Sayyed, et Rajputs ...... et beaucoup d'autres pour des raisons de socio-culturelles. Cet article examine l'importance relative des consanguins unions avec l'aide de donnees qualitatives anthropologique. Mots cles: Mariage; Le Pakistan; La religion; Socio-culturels; Politique Culturelle