Iran

Endogamy, especially marriage between parallel and cross-cousins, is common in Iran. An Iranian stating that marriage between cousins is summoned in Heaven indicates the popularity of this practice. According to a 1977 survey, about one-fourth of marriages reported in rural areas were endogamous (Givens and Hirschman 1994). The rate of such marriages is estimated to be about 50 percent among some ethnic minorities (Nassehi-Behnam 1985).

A man can have more than one wife. Although the Shi-e marriage law, now dominant in Iran, allows a man to simultaneously have up to four wives, polygamy lacks popular support and is rarely practiced in Iran.