A Slow Life History is Related to a Negative Attitude towards Cousin Marriages: A Study in Three Ethnic Groups in Mexico

Abstract

Little is known about current attitudes towards cousin marriages. Using data from a rural population in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, the present research examined how life history was related to attitudes towards cousin marriages in various ethnic groups. Participants were 205 parents from three ethnic groups. i.e., Mestizos (people of mixed descent, n = 103), indigenous Mixtecs (n = 65), and Blacks (n = 35). Nearly all men in this study were farm workers or fishermen. Participants reported more negative than positive attitudes towards cousin marriage, and women reported more negative attitudes than did men. The main objection against marrying a cousin was that it is wrong for religious reasons, whereas the risk of genetic defects was considered relatively unimportant. Cousin marriage was not considered to contribute to the quality and unity of marriage and the family. The three ethnic groups did not differ in their attitude towards cousin marriages. However, a slower life history was related to a more negative attitude towards cousin marriages, especially among Blacks, less so among Mixtecs, and not at all among Mestizos. In addition, and independent of the effect of life history, with increasing levels of parental control over mate choice, the attitude towards cousin marriage was more positive, but among men the attitude was more negative the more religious they were. The results are discussed in the context of theorizing on life history theory and the benefits and costs of cousin marriages.

All in the family: Attitudes towards cousin marriages among young dutch people from various ethnic groups

“…It was therefore hypothesized that the attitude towards cousin marriage would be more positive among Turkish and Moroccan young people who favor more parental control over mate choice. In line with this reasoning, Buunk and Hoben (2013) found that in three ethnic groups in Mexico, with increasing levels of parental control over mate choice, the attitude towards cousin marriage was more positive. Finally, in the present study the effect of religiosity was examined.…”

“…The negative view of cousin marriage among the Turks and the Dutch in the present study may, as has been argued by Buunk and Hoben (2013), in part be the unintended result of an evolved mechanism to prevent inbreeding (Fessler & Navarrete, 2004;Lieberman, Tooby & Cosmides, 2003;Westermarck, 1921Westermarck, /1891. It seems that within some cultures the notion of incest has been extended beyond the immediate family to include cousins.…”

“…To assess attitudes towards cousin marriage, the questionnaire developed by Buunk and Hoben (2013) was used. The questionnaire consists of 9 items, 4 of which express a negative, and 5 of which express a positive consequence of marrying a cousin.…”

Methodologically Sound: Evaluating the Psychometric Approach to the Assessment of Human Life History [Reply to ]

“…While the HKSS has been applied in only 12 studies to date, as noted in the critique, research on the Arizona Life History Battery (and its Short Form, the Mini-K), has produced quite a number of cross-cultural studies in recent years in geographically diverse places such as Chile, Costa Rica, Israel, Mexico, Poland, Singapore, Sweden, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom (e.g., Abed et al, 2012; Buunk and Hoben, 2013; Buunk, Pollet, Klavina, Figueredo, and Dijkstra, 2009; Cabeza de Baca, Figueredo, and Ellis, 2012; Cabeza de Baca, Sotomayor-Peterson, Smith-Castro, and Figueredo, 2014; Egan et al, 2005; Figueredo et al, 2011; Figueredo, Cabeza de Baca, et al, 2013; Figueredo, Tal, McNeill, and Guillén, 2004; Figueredo and Wolf, 2009; Frías-Armenta et al, 2005; Frías-Armenta, Valdez-Ramirez, Nava-Cruz, Figueredo, and Corral-Verdugo, 2010; Gaxiola-Romero and Frías-Armenta, 2008; Jonason, Li, and Czarna, 2011; Sotomayor-Peterson, Cabeza de Baca, Figueredo, and Smith-Castro, 2012; Sotomayor-Peterson, Figueredo, Hendrickson-Christensen, and Taylor, 2012; Tal, Hill, Figueredo, Frías-Armenta, and Corral-Verdugo, 2006; Tifferet, Agrest, Shlomo Benisti, 2011; van der Linden, Figueredo, de Leeuw, Scholte, and Engels, 2012; Woodley of Menie and Madison, 2015). …”

Attitudes Towards Cousin Marriages: Findings Among Young People from Mexico

“…Wilmsen Thornhill and Thornhill 1987), and various theories have been put forward to explain such variation (e.g., Ember 1975). As Buunk and Hoben (2013) noted, until the middle of the nineteenth century, cousin marriage was allowed in the USA and in many European countries. However, during the nineteenth century, attitudes towards cousin marriage in the Western world became gradually more negative, particularly due to the conviction that the offspring of cousins might suffer from genetic defects (see e.g., Bittles and Neel 1994).…”