Cousin Marriage

Cousin marriage is a marriage between spouses who are cousins, meaning they share a common grandparent or other fairly recent ancestor. The practice was common in earlier historical periods and remains common in some societies today, with more than ten percent of marriages worldwide estimated to be between first or second cousins, making it a significant topic in anthropology and alliance theory. Cultural attitudes vary widely: in some societies cousin marriage is considered an ideal match and is actively encouraged and expected, in others it is regarded as incestuous and subject to social stigma and taboo, and in still others it is viewed neutrally, neither encouraged nor condemned though not typically the norm. The practice was historically documented among Aboriginal peoples of Australia, Indigenous peoples of North and South America, and Polynesian and Melanesian societies, and it remains legally prohibited in a number of jurisdictions today, including China, North Korea, South Korea, the Philippines, for Hindus in parts of India, several Balkan countries, Belgium, Lithuania, and thirty of the fifty United States, eight of which criminalize it outright.