Consanguineous Marriages and Domestic Violence against Women: Evidence from Pakistan

The high prevalence of cousin marriages in the patriarchal Pakistani society presents a unique setting to study the impact of consanguinity on domestic violence. Our study investigates the relationship between consanguineous marriages and domestic violence against women, using econometric models and the Pakistan Demographic and Health Surveys (2012 and 2017–2018). The findings reveal a grim picture of domestic violence, with 6.5% of women experiencing severe physical violence in 2017–2018. We find that consanguineous marriages serve as a protective cushion against domestic violence, while being married to a maternal cousin as compared to a paternal cousin interestingly reduces domestic violence.