Unpacking the link between cousin marriage and women's paid work

Abstract

The debate surrounding the role of cousin marriage in women's autonomy, household status, and labor supply is longstanding and marked by contradictory viewpoints. Some studies suggest that cousin marriage enhances women's situation in the household, while others argue it restricts their freedoms and economic prospects. Despite this ongoing debate, quantitative investigations are limited. This study uses a sample of 15,068 married women from the Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey 2017-18 to examine the link between cousin marriage and women's labor supply patterns. The findings suggest a modest correlation between cousin marriage and reduced paid work. However, cousin marriage appears to have a more pronounced connection with women's work at home, potentially channeling them toward unpaid work for kin. Women in cousin marriages are unlikely to experience improved status within the household compared to women in non-cousin marriages. They are also more likely to rationalize acts of spousal violence in favor of patriarchal familial roles. In this regard, cousin marriage could potentially perpetuate patriarchal gender roles by penalizing women who deviate from conventional norms.