Previous research reveals that the characteristics and practices of a
child's family are important determinants of its chances of surviving
beyond childhood. This study investigates the effects of consanguinity
on a family's odds of experiencing the death of a child in Pakistan,
a society in which marriage among close relatives is common. Analysis
of data from the 1991 Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey reveals t
hat first cousin marriages increase a couple's risk of enduring the de
ath of one or more of their children. These couples are 1.18 times as
likely to have a child die by its fifth birthday than couples not rela
ted by blood net of other factors associated with child mortality. Eli
mination of first cousin marriages would contribute to a modest decrea
se in the proportion of Pakistani families suffering the death of a ch
ild.