Scholars of kinship distinguish the different types of first cousin as follows: the children of a fathers siblings are patrilateral cousins, and those of a mothers siblings are matrilateral cousins; the children of a mothers sister or of a fathers brother are parallel cousins (sometimes called ortho-cousins); and

Is cousin marriage unhealthy?

Marriage between first cousins doubles risk of birth defects, say researchers. Marriage between first cousins doubles the risk of children being born with birth defects, according to a study seeking answers to the higher than expected rates of deaths and congenital abnormalities in the babies of the Pakistani community

What are the benefits of cousin marriage?

Benefit: More Children, Stronger Family Ties. They found that both men and women had more children when their opposite-sex siblings married close kin. Brothers in particular reap the benefits when their sisters pair off with cross-cousins.

What is the problem in cousin marriage?

The majority of babies born to couples who are blood relatives are healthy. Whilst cousin marriage increases the risk of birth defect from 3% to 6%, the absolute risk is still small. Cousin marriage only accounts for a third of birth defects.