Kinship, Cultural Preference and Immigration: Consanguineous Marriage Among British Pakistanis

Abstract

This article offers an analysis and interpretation of a high rate of marriage to relatives, especially first cousins, in a sample of second‐generation British Pakistanis. It argues that the high rate of such marriage is not a simple reflection of a cultural preference. A better explanation requires an analysis of the factors that influence the decisions and choices of the marriage arrangers in the particular context of Pakistani migration to Britain. The article also underlines the inadequacy of a blanket category ‘Pakistani’ in relation to marriage patterns and choices. Variation according to region of origin, caste, socio‐economic status, and upbringing must be brought into focus to reveal the processes that have generated the pattern, and to offer clues to its likely persistence.