Arranged Marriages in India

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In American culture the view on arranged marriages are not looked at very favorably. This is because we have grown up with the knowledge that when it comes time to marry we will have chosen our spouse of our own free will. The match will be a love match and one that is chosen through our own needs. Young men and women in India grow up with an opposite view on marriage. They know that when it comes time to marry their parents will find them a suitable mate and it will be considered scared and a lifelong commitment (Agence France-Presse.) A total of 74 percent of respondents from across India voted in favour of traditional "arranged" marriages, according to the poll by private television channel NDTV. In the Hindu faith, marriage is considered a sacred rite and not merely, legal, but holy merger of the bride and groom. Marriage in Indian is considered almost a determement to society. It can be impacted by several factors including geography, historical attributes, monetary and most recently social networking. Typically, the parents of the bride are in control and make the choices necessary to make a good match for their daughter.
If one is not married by a certain age in India a person can be shunned and considered not holy. Around ninety percent of marriages are pre-arranged and planned for months and even years before any ceremony takes place. Arranged marriage benefits many due to the similiarties in background, education and religious values. Whereas Westerners tend to marry for romantic reasons, Indians marry based on logic. The Divorce rate in the United States is rougly around 50 percent, unlike people in arranged marriages whose divorce rate is usually in the low single digits. When you take a look at the divor...

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...t can people meet and get married through arrangements. Arranged marriages can be organized through matchmakers, online marriage matching sites and family members. Westerners may view arranged marriages as cruel and forceful but sometimes it is helpful to look beyond your own cultural views and upbringing. With a low divorce rate that is lower than the United States and few complaints from the couples in arranged marriages, it seems like that it is an old custom that is here to stay.

Works Citied

In India, Arranged Marriages Hit the Web. By: Narayan, Adi, Bloomberg Businessweek, 00077135, 4/8/2013, Issue 4324
Agence France-Presse, August 29, 2012, 1pp
Batabyal, Amitrajeet A.
Beladi, Hamid
Applied Economics Letters. Oct2002, Vol. 9 Issue 13, p893-897. 5p.

How to Make Your Arranged Marriage Work - Times of India, The (Mumbai, India), December 4, 2013, 2pp

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