Mate selection and its impact on female marriage age, pregnancy wastages, and first child survival in Tamil Nadu, India
Sureender, S.; Prabakaran, B.; Khan, A.G.
Biodemography and Social Biology 45(3-4): 289-301
1998
ISSN/ISBN: 1948-5565 DOI: 10.1080/19485565.1998.9988980Document Number: 248213
This study examined consanguinity and pregnancy outcomes among married women in Tamil Nadu state, India. Data were obtained from the 1992-93 National Family Health Survey among a sample of 3948 married women aged 13-49 years. Consanguineous marriage was highest in Tamil Nadu, where 48.2% of marriages were between relatives. Other states with high consanguinity were Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra. Findings reveal that about 50% of the sample were women aged under 30 years. 70.2% lived in rural areas. 88% were Hindus. 50% were illiterate. 66% were unaware of the legal marriage age. 38.3% married close relatives, 9.9% married distant relatives, and 51.7% married nonrelatives. Educated women were more likely to marry nonrelatives. Consanguinity was high among Hindus, scheduled castes, and tribes. Consanguinity occurred at earlier ages and was significantly associated with lower age at marriage. Female age at marriage was also significantly influenced by religion, age at menarche, education of women, childhood place of residence, and caste. Pregnancy wastage was 22.7% for women marrying close relatives, 21.6% for women marrying distant cousins, and 18.7% for women marrying nonrelatives. The odds of pregnancy wastage were 1.3 times higher for women marrying close relatives. Loss of the first child was 16.8% of women marrying close relatives, 15% of women marrying distant relatives, and 11.5% of women marrying nonrelatives. Controlling for background characteristics, women marrying close relatives were 1.3 times more likely to lose their first child than the reference group.