How much influence do parents have over spouse selection in Pakistan?
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Direct answer
Parental influence is substantial but cannot be reduced to one national arranged-marriage percentage. In the 2017–18 Pakistan DHS, 80.5% of ever-married women reported having a say in choosing their husband; the share was 84.7% in urban areas and 78.1% in rural areas. Having a say does not mean choosing without parents, and not having the final decision does not reveal whether coercion occurred. The figures show overlapping individual and family roles rather than a simple divide between self-choice and parent-choice marriages.
80.5%ever-married women reporting a say in husband selection, PDHS 2017–18
Sources used
Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey 2017–18
National Institute of Population Studies and The DHS Program
National survey evidence for marriage timing, women, households and health indicators.View sourceMarriage decision-making and married youth in Pakistan
Population Council research archived by PubMed Central
Research on marriage timing, prior acquaintance and decision-making among young married Pakistanis.View source