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  5. Health Effects of Cousin Marriage: Evidence from US Genealogical Records

American Economic Review: Insights

ISSN 2640-205X (Print) | ISSN 2640-2068 (Online)

Health Effects of Cousin Marriage: Evidence from US Genealogical Records

  • Sam Il Myoung Hwang
  • Deaglan Jakob
  • Munir Squires
American Economic Review: Insights (Forthcoming)

Abstract

Cousin marriage rates are high in many countries today. While previous studies have documented increased risks of infant and child mortality, we provide the first estimate of the effect of such marriages on life expectancy throughout adulthood. By studying couples married over a century ago, we can observe their offspring across the entire lifespan. US genealogical data allows us to identify children whose parents were first cousins, and compare their years of life to the offspring of their parents’ siblings. Marrying a cousin leads to more than a two-year reduction in age-5 life expectancy, compounding the documented early-life effects.

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