Part four: Leprosy and Assortative mating on Mactan Island, Philippines

Abstract A social stigma on leprosy has often elicited patterns of positive assortative mating with regard to the presence of the disease in a spouse or in his relatives. Mating patterns were analyzed in a Philippine population in which leprosy has been endemic for over a century. A clear pattern of negative assortative mating was observed after 1915 and became more pronounced through time. Some possible causes and consequences of this mating pattern are discussed.