Consanguineous marriage and its relevance to divorce, polygyny and survival of marriage: evidence from a population-based analysis in Jordan

Abstract

Background Consanguinity has been extensively studied in the context of its negative health outcomes for offspring and socio-demographic factors, but little evidence-based research has been done on its potential social benefits. Aim To examine the association between consanguineous marriage and the risk of divorce or separation, polygyny, and survival of marriage in Jordan. Subjects and methods Data were obtained from the 2018 Jordan Population and Family Health Survey, covering a nationally representative sample of ever-married women of reproductive age. Descriptive statistics, multiple logistic regression, and survival analysis techniques were used for data analysis. Results The prevalence of consanguineous marriage was found to be 27.5% in Jordan in 2018, while the prevalences of polygyny and divorced/separated rates were 4.4% and 4.7%, respectively. Both consanguineous and polygyny rates showed declining trends, but divorce/separation rate showed an increasing trend. Compared to non-consanguineous marriages, the risk of divorce/separation and polygyny were found to be lower among women with consanguineous marriage, while the survival of marriages was found to be higher for consanguineous marriages than for non-consanguineous marriages. Conclusions Findings revealed that consanguinity has some social benefits as it plays protective roles against divorce or separation, polygyny and enhances the survival of marriages.