Consanguineous marriage has been the culturally preferred form of
marriage in Iran. This paper examines the extent to which education,
urbanization and changes in modes of economic production have affected the
incidence of consanguineous marriage and attitudes towards consanguineous
marriages. The 2002 Iran Fertility Transition Survey conducted in the four
provinces of Gilan, Sistan and Baluchistan, Yazd and West Azarbaijan
provides information on the degree of relationship of marriage partners from
around 6550 ever-married women aged 15–49. Attitudinal data were also
obtained. Overall, the level of marriage to biological relatives ranged from
23% in Gilan to 78% in Sistan and Baluchistan. The paper finds that the
practice of marriage to biological relatives has remained surprisingly resilient
in the face of modernizing influences and that ethnicity, province and area of
residence remain important determinants. On the other hand, attitudes have
shifted towards marriage with a non-relative. Anthropological research would
illuminate the processes of consanguineous marriage in Iran.