Arranged Marriages in India Essay

When you think of arranged marriages you will probably have an image of a 16th to 19th century picture going on in your head since that’s when it was really common and normalize back then, but that’s not always the case because even now in modern times arranged marriages are still practiced throughout other places and countries such as India, Japan, and China. Some keep up these old traditions for their religious beliefs and others for their own personal reasons. As we step into modern times though, a new type of forming a relationship has had an uprising for the past decade or so which has come to be known as online dating. Some may feel like online dating is different from arranged marriages and in a way it is but in many ways, online dating and arranged marriages have the same structure just with fewer people involved.

Those individuals who are proposed of the idea of arranged marriage ask the question “whether a parent can be trusted to find the right partner for a child” (Kolker, 62). These days parents and children argue about almost every single topic let alone finding a spouse for them. It sounds weird when a mother looks for brides for her grown son. But, marriage “as we understand it,

The author begins with the basics of marriages in India, explaining that arranged marriages are so common that marriages not setup have a special term. She goes on to speak of how the couples set to wed usually do not meet before the ceremony and that if they do, it is for only a momentary conversation after the decisions have been made. However, she points out, that if one person objects to the match that the parents agreed to, they do not have to wed.

Did you know, in some cultures such as India, Korea, and Orthodox Jews allow arranged marriages? Arranged marriage is when two families agree to marry their kids, usually without the child's consent. In the article "Arranged Marriage" by Sanjay Kali, it talks about the positive and negative things about arranged marriages. I strongly believe that arranged marriages are a negative idea since the majority of arranged marriages never end well.

Arranged marriage may sound strange in the United States as it is impractical in this country. According to Gagoomal. Arranged marriage is broadly defined as unions in which people other than the bride and groom, typically parents or other family members, play important or decisive roles in determining who marries whom I strongly believe that the arranged marriage is a good choice and beneficial because an arranged marriage is believed to guarantee a mate for us, more stable compared to a love marriage in terms of love, and leads to perpetual happiness. it is difficult to find a mate nowadays especially in the United States because people are very busy with their work and have no time to find life partner. This is due to the job prospect as many countries are rapidly developing.

Depending on the parents, qualifications can consist of areas such as age, physical features, beliefs, occupation and much more. For example, in one situation, a sister and brother-in-law invited correspondences from North Indian professionals only and preferred that the man be an immigrant doctor who was between 26-29 years, for their relative. (Nanda 623). Sometimes the bride and groom will meet one time for a brief conversation, but in most cases the bride and groom’s first appearance of each other is at their wedding (Nanda 624). However, some parents are becoming more lenient in this area and allowing their son or daughter to meet at least one time before making any final marital arrangements to see if the two individuals are in agreement to get married to one another. This is not like a date in the United States where a couple goes out to dinner and to a movie and hangs out. This is more like a formal meeting, chaperoned by a guardian. It is sometimes classified as “having tea” together. As Americans, we probably think this is an absurd way of getting married but those in India find arranged marriages by their parents very satisfying and a better way to choose a spouse.

Within Afghanistan, parents organize marriages between their daughter and her future spouse before the relationship between the couple has formed. The two types of arranged marriages consist of traditional marriage and forced marriage . In a traditional marriage the parents choose their daughter’s spouse and she can deny or accept her future husband. In a forced marriage, the parents pick their daughter’s spouse and do not let her have any say at all in whom they chose. Some main factors the parents consider for arranged marriages include reputation, vocation, wealth, appearance, and values.

Arranged marriages are set up by friends and family, and sometimes by a matchmaker that sets up the marriage. But the bride’s father has the most responsibility in arranging marriage for his daughter, and is the one who approaches the father of a potential bridegroom. Important aspects when considering a possible match are financial status, caste, and the bride and bridegrooms horoscopes matching. The role of astrology is important, and if a Hindu priest finds that the horoscopes of the potential spouses do not match, they will not marry, and must begin the search all over again (Livermore, 2009). India’s view of marriage first and then love is very different from the Western view where love comes before marriage, seems to be successful. The

Love is portrayed in society as a perfect bond between two people and that they live happily ever after but that is not always the case. In the story “Once upon a Time in a Tent” written by Tim Neville talks about his time living in a tent in his backyard and his journey through his three relationships. In the story “The Arranged Marriage” written by Mira Jacob she talks about how her parents are in an arranged marriage and never showed any affection towards each other.

It is a common thought that being involved in an arranged marriage does not lead to any beneficial outcomes. However, not all cases lead this way. Arranged marriages has its advantages to both the bride, groom, and their family. In an article by Ji (2010), he stated that being in an arranged marriage is more reliable and rational. This is because the bride and groom are most likely chosen by the parents within the same social class and with the consent of the parents. With this, this will lead to a more stable and a more harmless relationship. According to the author, being in an arranged marriage will lessen the probability of the bride being looked down upon or hurt. This is because the bride is well-respected by both the parents and society.

In arranged marriages the marriage is consummated through elaborate ceremonies presided over by a Vedic priest well versed in Vedic mantras. The marriage date is fixed after consulting the astrological charts and then invitations are sent. Before the marriage date, both the parties spend a lot of time in preparation and exchange of gifts. On the marriage day, the bride and the

In some Eastern countries having an arranged marriage is very common. This tradition has been passed down from generation to generation. Even today, these marriages have an important role in the societies where this tradition takes place. Many people agree with arranged marriages, however other people do not agree with them. I am against arranged marriages because there can be many problems in an arranged marriage. Some problems that could occur are: the couple is inexperienced with relationships, the couple doesn't like each other, and it's harder to get a divorce.

Arranged Marriages have a rich history. It has been found that ancient societies in the West helped shape this type of marriage. It has also been discovered that early societies have started as early as 1500 AD and during Victorian Europe. Back in the Chinese culture, arranged marriages started with the initial relationship between families. Even though the two people planning on marrying get to pick their own spouse, it must slide with the two families. Before the wedding happens, the two families must meet on a official traditional dinner or supper, and ask each other man questions. One example is when the bride’s family meets the groom’s family, they have to make sure the groom is coming from wealth and good status. If the bride’s family feel as if the groom is not a good match then simply the wedding will not take place. On the other

Arranged marriages have been a practice that has been around for a long time. It has been predominantly common in third world countries where the income gap is significantly obvious between the wealthy and the poor. By definition, arranged marriage is a marriage that is arranged by the parents of the man and woman getting married, instead of the man and woman choosing to date and marry each other. Shafer-Landau states that cultural relativism claims that the correct moral standards are relative to cultures, or societies, where as ethical subjectivism claims that the correct moral standards are those endorsed by each individual. The practice of arranged marriages and similar scenario of forced marriages alike are both controversial and up for discussion.

Definition of culture is a wide range. Culture is language, art, food, cloth, lifestyle, and believe. I was born and lived in Japan 19 years. When I came to the United States, I was surprised how Japanese and American culture is different. Japan and America is different language, food and lifestyle. There is a Japanese culture that American culture should adapt for social benefit. That is arranged marriage. There were many countries that arranged marriage is popular around the world. However, recently, arranged marriage is no more popular because society, and people’s idea changed, and many people think arranged marriage is not respect their children. In Japan, arranged marriage is very popular since long time ago. A few decades ago, arranged marriage was forced marriage, and wealthy people do that for keeping family well-off. However, definition and style of arranged marriage changed recently. Arranged marriage is more like matchmaking. Parents do not force marriage anymore. They encourage to find good partner for daughter or son. “Arranged marriages in Japan are now in the minority because one reporter says that over 70% of Japanese marriage are based on love. The remaining 30 % are arranged.” (Arranged Marriages in Japan) From this date, Japanese still arranged marriage. Arranged marriage is beneficial American society because fast, low divorce rate, no trouble, and marriage with ideal person.