Consanguineous Marriages and Their Effects on Pregnancy Outcomes: Evidence from a Nation-Wide Survey in India

Shrikant Kuntla, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)
Srinivas Goli, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)

This study examines the practice of marriage among blood relatives and its association with adverse pregnancy outcomes among currently married women (age group 15-49) in India based on data from India Human Development Survey (IHDS, 2004-2005). The assessment of occurrence of consanguineous marriages by states and background characteristics in India demonstrates that they are more predominant in southern region than northern region; women in younger age groups and disadvantageous socioeconomic groups than their counter-groups. However, results of trivariate analysis demonstrate that within the women of same age and socio-economic standing, the adverse pregnancy outcomes are greater among the consanguineous unions than non-consanguineous unions. Overall results suggest that consanguineous marriages are critical predictors of adverse pregnancy outcomes in India. Furthermore, findings of the study foster the need to educate the people on negative effects of consanguineous marriages to avoid wastage of pregnancy and related reproductive health problems in India.