Arranged Marriages

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Recommended: 4. The negative impact of arranged marriage

Arranged marriage is the union of a man and woman which is brought about by someone other than the bride and groom (“Arranged” 1). Recent research has shown that arranged marriages may have originated during the Vedic period of Indian history (Chettri 1). Although many arranged marriages generally rely on the consent of the bride and groom, in some cases, one or both of them is forced to marry without a choice and in others, they are too pressured to refuse (Reiss 1). Technically, arranged marriage is not forced marriage, but parents have been known to use foul methods that often resembled the latter such as bribery, threats or blackmail (Zuberi 1). Traditionally, parents began to choose children’s future spouse because, as said in an article on GoodTherapy.org, “some cultures believe that the choice of a child’s spouse is best made by his or her parents.” (1). The purpose of arranged marriage varies, the three traditional purposes were to help families politically, militarily, and socially (“Arranged” 1).
Often in history, the nobility considered their children to be a useful form of currency that was used to secure their families into a higher position. Arranged marriage was used to seal bonds between families and bring two powers together. It was also seen as an extremely useful way to seal many deals such as support gain from other families or trading rights from others. If one was to marry with another of a higher status, his or her family would also reap the gain. As a result, families practiced arranged marriages for more wealth and more power over others, not for their children who were subjected to this fate without a choice (“Arranged” 1).
These types of marriages were also used to secure military needs. Marriage often...

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...s, Fraidy. “About Arranged Marriage.” UnchainedAtLast.org. 2012. 26 January 2014.

“Ring Resources: The Culture and History of Arranged Marriages.” LarsonJewelers.com. 2010. 23 January 2014.

Ros, Maggi. “Love and Marriage.” Elizabethan.org. 2008. 23 January 2014.

Saxena, Pragya. “Arranged Marriage Troubles.” IndiaWest.com. 2007. 25 January 2014.

“Tying the Knot.” Web-Japan.org: Trends in Japan. 1998. 24 January 2014.

Zuberi, Hena. “Arranged Marriage is not Forced Marriage.” MuslimMatters.org. 2011. 25 January 2014.

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