Family & Society

How many Pakistani women have a say in choosing their husband?

Last reviewed:

Answer

Direct answer

In the 2017–18 Pakistan DHS, 80.5% of ever-married women aged 15–49 reported having a say in choosing their husband, referring to the first husband for women married more than once. The share varied by age, education, residence, province, and other characteristics—for example, the highest education group reported a higher share than women with no education. This self-reported indicator does not measure the degree of influence, freedom from pressure, or every stage of the decision.

80.5%ever-married women reporting a say in husband choice
Evidence

Sources used

National Survey · 2019

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 source
Useful next steps

Continue from this answer

Keep reading

Other Knowledge questions

Marriage Data & DemographicsWhat does Weddme’s 2026 matrimonial profile data show?

Weddme’s 2026 study analyzed 5,427 eligible profiles captured on 8 August 2026. Men’s profiles formed 85.1% of the cohort, 26–30 was the largest age group, and 69.2% report...

Read answerMarriage Data & DemographicsCan Weddme’s family-management data represent Pakistan as a whole?

Weddme members were not selected through a nationally representative sampling design. The cohort reflects people who knew about the service, had internet access, registered...

Read answerAge & MarriageWhat partner ages did women aged 26–30 include on Weddme?

Among 199 women aged 26–30 who had saved age preferences, 70.9% included an older age band and 66.3% included their own 26–30 band. Because the field allowed more than one...

Read answerAge & MarriageWhat partner ages did men aged 26–30 include on Weddme?

Among 1,045 men aged 26–30 with saved age preferences, 74.9% included a younger age band and 61.4% included their own 26–30 band. Those percentages are not alternatives bec...

Read answerLife Partner PreferencesCan Weddme members select more than one preferred age group?

Yes. Weddme’s age preference is a multi-select field, so one member can include several acceptable bands, such as 18–25, 26–30, and 31–35. That design records a search rang...

Read answerAge & MarriageDo women and men aged 26–30 save different age preferences on Weddme?

Yes, the same-age comparison showed different directions. Among preference setters aged 26–30, 70.9% of women included an older band and 66.3% included their own band; 74.9...

Read answer
More topics

Browse other Knowledge topics

Move across related topics when a question needs practical, family, document, safety, regional or research context.

Rishta Process

Practical answers about proposals, first conversations, family meetings and respectful next steps.

10 answersCompatibility & Life Partner Choice

Questions to help people discuss values, expectations, work, finances, residence and future plans.

10 answersSafety & Verification

Practical guidance on identity checks, safe communication, fraud signals and verification limits.

46 answersNikah, Law & Documents

Carefully scoped answers about Nikah Nama, marriage certificates, official records and where to verify rules.

10 answersWedding Customs & Events

Human answers about nikah, rukhsati, walima, engagement, budgets, guest lists and regional customs.

9 answersDigital Matrimony

Online rishta search, privacy, structured profiles, communication stages and family-assisted accounts.

26 answersOverseas Pakistanis & Marriage

Marriage and matrimonial questions involving overseas Pakistanis, answered only where evidence supports them.

30 answersAge & Marriage

Marriage age, partner-age preferences, child-marriage indicators and age-range interpretation.

32 answersEducation & Matrimony

Education in profiles, partner preferences, literacy context and how not to overread education data.

27 answersCities & Regions

City, province and regional context where enough credible evidence exists to answer responsibly.

24 answersLife Partner Preferences

How saved partner preferences, filters and family criteria should be understood without overclaiming.

30 answersMarriage Data & Demographics

Population, survey and platform-data context for marriage questions across Pakistan.

32 answersMarriage Trends

Short explanations of measured matrimonial trends and the limits of trend claims.

25 answers