Arranged Marriage Essay

833 Words2 Pages

The chapter with the topic that interested me the most in this Sociology course was the one dealing with marriages. I thought it was interesting to see how marriage can take on so many different meanings depending on what country or culture a person belongs to. To most people, especially here in the US, marriage is usually the union of two adults (usually heterosexual) who are in love with each other. This means that the two individuals get to choose who they want to be their future husband or wife. However, in India, it is not an uncommon practice to marry a person that your parents have approved/chosen for you.
As it turns out, most of the marriages that take place in India are arranged. Arranged marriages are a traditional practice in India, so you can find arranged marriages being practiced in all social classes. The parents of the individual play a big part in this tradition because they are the ones who choose a partner for the individual to marry. The parents must look into the family background of the future bride or groom to make sure that their sons/daughters marry into good families. Not only that, but they go beyond the family background and check the bachelors/bachelorettes out for themselves to make sure they make a good choice. Once a potential partner is chosen, the parents may or may not set up a quick meeting between the two individuals. In other extreme cases, the individuals do not meet at all before the wedding. It is also customary for the two families involved in the arranged marriage to exchange gifts.
When parents look for a husband for their daughters they make sure that the suitor doesn’t have a job that requires a lot of moving or a job that can potentially endanger his life. For example, parents of the...

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...r ruining the lives of their sons/daughters. Not only is that a consequence of the failed marriage, but the divorce will stay in the family’s background, which makes it harder for other children in the family to get married in the future.
While arranged marriages are still a common practice, and some girls believe that there are benefits from the arranged marriage, some future brides feel uncertain and scared of getting married because it would mean that they would have to leave the comfort of their home. Not only that, but it is not uncommon for the family of the groom to put extra pressure on their new daughter-in-law. Everything, including her behavior, her clothing, and her housework will be under observation. Whether or not arranged marriages are the best way to create families or find love, it is interesting to see how there is not just one way to get married.

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