Avunculate marriage

An avunculate marriage is a marriage with a parent's sibling or with one's sibling's child—i.e., between an uncle or aunt and their niece or nephew. Such a marriage may occur between biological (consanguine) relatives or between persons related by marriage (affinity). In some countries, avunculate marriages are prohibited by law, while in others marriages between such biological relatives are both legal and common, though now far less common.[citation needed]

If the partners in an avunculate marriage are biologically related, they normally have the same genetic relationship as half-siblings, or a grandparent and grandchild—that is they share approximately 25% of their genetic material. (They are therefore more closely related than partners in a marriage between first cousins, in which on average the members share 12.5% of inherited genetic material, but less than that of a marriage between, for instance, cousin-siblings, in which the partners share 37.5% of their inherited genetic material.)

Avunculate marriage is permitted in Norway, Denmark, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland,[1] Austria, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Australia,[2] Canada,[3] Finland,[4] Macau,[5] Malaysia,[6] The Netherlands[7] and Russia.[8] In the United States it is permitted in some circumstances in two states. In New York a marriage between a woman and her mother's half-brother was upheld by the New York Court of Appeals.[9] In Rhode Island there is an exception to the general prohibition against "kindred marriages" for Jewish marriages allowed by that religion.[10] It is not permitted in New Zealand,[11] Spain, Italy, Japan, Hong Kong, Thailand, or the United Kingdom.[12] In France, avunculate marriage is under permission only.

Not only avunculate marriage, but also half-sibling marriage is permitted in Sweden.

  1. ^ "Article 95 of the Swiss Civil Code".
  2. ^ "MARRIAGE ACT 1961 - SECT 23B : Grounds on which marriages are void". 7.austlii.edu.au. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  3. ^ "Marriage (Prohibited Degrees) Act (S.C. 1990, c. 46)". 20 July 2005. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  4. ^ Pikkanen, Antti (24 July 2014). "Lapsena alttarille – Jenna Karjalainen meni naimisiin alaikäisenä". Nyt.fi. Helsingin Sanomat. Retrieved 26 July 2015. [Oikeusm]inisteriö käsittelee myös muita avioliittoon liittyviä poikkeuslupia. Lupaa voi anoa, jos esimerkiksi haluaa mennä naimisiin sisarensa lapsen kanssa. Mutta sellaisia hakemuksia tulee hyvin harvoin, 2000-luvulla pari kolme.
  5. ^ "Redirect page". Archived from the original on 2021-05-25. Retrieved 2021-05-25.
  6. ^ Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act 1976 Archived March 7, 2012, at the Wayback Machine (for Hindus only[why?])
  7. ^ "Tackling forced marriage - Forced marriage - Government.nl". 4 February 2016.
  8. ^ "Статья 14. СК РФ. Обстоятельства, препятствующие заключению брака". Semkodeks.ru. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  9. ^ "NY State blesses 'incest' marriage between uncle, niece". NYpost.com. New York Post. 29 October 2014. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  10. ^ "2012 Rhode Island General Laws, Title 15 - Domestic Relations, Chapter 15-1 - Persons Eligible to Marry". Law.justia.com. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  11. ^ "Schedule 2: Forbidden marriages -- Marriage Act 1955 (as of 25 February 2012) -- New Zealand Legislation". Parliamentary Counsel Office. 25 February 2012. Retrieved 28 October 2012. A man/woman may not marry his/her–... (4) father's sister/brother; (5) mother's sister/brother; ... (19) brother's daughter/son; (20) sister's daughter/son
  12. ^ "Genetic And Quantitative Aspects Of Genealogy - FORBIDDEN MARRIAGE LAWS OF THE UNITED KINGDOM". Genetic-genealogy.co.uk. Retrieved 26 April 2022.