Are younger Pakistanis becoming more involved in choosing their own spouses?
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Direct answer
Regional and youth studies suggest that education, communication technology and longer premarital interaction can increase young adults’ participation in spouse choice, but Pakistan lacks a consistent national time series measuring self-choice with the same question. The 2017–18 DHS found that younger ever-married women were generally more likely than older cohorts to report a say, yet age differences can reflect education, residence and which marriages have already occurred. The evidence supports gradual negotiation of greater agency in some groups, not a claim that family-arranged matching is disappearing nationwide.
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 sourceEducation and mate-selection agency among educated women in Malakand Division
PubMed-indexed research
Mixed-method regional study using 30 interviews and a questionnaire completed by 500 educated women.View source