There are certain things we take as apparent facts that aren’t always supported by statistics. For example, cousin marriage is, to use a scientific phrase, unpleasant. First off cousin marriage is way more common than you may think. Approximately 10 of the world’s families are headed by couples who are second cousins or closer. That’s more than 750 million people. it may be worldly out of fashion in Europe and north America now but like hoop skirts and top hats cousin marriage used to be a much more common sight. Read about How to become sleep your “Superpower” a scientific view.
Popular Persons
People like Charles Darwin, Edgar Allan Poe and Albert Einstein all married their first cousins. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt married his fifth cousin Eleanor Roosevelt. She didn’t even have to change her last name. One study looking at millions of genealogy profiles concluded that between 1650 and 1850 the average person was fourth cousins with their spouse. I know what the hell is her fourth cousin. Well it basically means that. The average person had the same great grandparent as their romantic partner.
So why was that? Well marrying a cousin meant keeping money and power within the family and maintaining your social relationships. it was also about proximity. If you aren’t traveling far in your young life you’re more likely to end up with someone you already know. Like a second cousin, but even with the onset of the railroad and the industrial revolution. It still took another 50 years for cousin marriage to go out of style in western society. Mobility may have played a factor but researchers also think that greater autonomy for women and smaller family sizes meaning that they were just fewer cousins to marry also influenced the change. Read – Wake up to new life – powerful motivational speech.
What Happens If cousins Marry?
Though it became much less popular on both sides of the Atlantic. It was only in us that it became illegal. Following the civil war the American government took a greater interest in overseeing more elements of daily life. Including marriage. American states began to outlaw not only interracial marriage but cousin marriage as well. Today 32 states either outright bans the practice or restricted to those who seek genetic counseling are beyond reproductive age or are sterile.
It’s estimated that less than one percent of American couples are cousins. But the widespread illegality not to mention the social stigma makes quantifying it quite difficult. If you ask people why cousin marriage seems wrong, health might come up the fear of birth defects and genetic disorders has influenced the change in social norms. But in 2002 researchers from the national society of genetic counselors found that the increased risk was a minor one. Read – How to your brain invents mind “Self”- Professor Anil Seth’s explanation.
Do Cousin Marriages Cause Birth Defects?
In the general population the risk that a child will be born with serious complications is three to four percent with a first cousin couple the risk increased by 1.7 to 2.8 percentage points. With those figures the researchers concluded that there was no biological reason to discourage cousins from marrying. Related Article -How to Find Your Soulmate – 3 Secrets To Find Your Romantic Partner.
Look I totally get it whether you fancy your cousin or not depending on where you’re from this can still be a bit of a taboo subject. But the truth is our feelings around it are shaped by the culture we live in and not necessarily by whether it’s objectively dangerous or not after all. If it wasn’t for cousin marriage you probably wouldn’t be here. Please share this article with others.
Article based on Data Journalist – Mona Chalabi‘s Speech
HowNHowTo.Com Team
Pictures credit to pixabay.com – pexels.com
Keywords
Cousins, Cousins marriage, Family, lave marriage with cousins, Lover, Marriage, marriage and cousins, Mona Chalabi, Mona Chalabi speeches, Romantic partner, Taboo of causin marriage