Maddi Lutz
Gallaher
Hour 3
Pakistan
In a country home to more than 193 million people and growing at a rate of about 1.5%, and English being the official languages but having many more due to diversity. Handshakes are the most common greeting. Pointing your shoe at another person is non-proper. Visiting with friends and relatives is an important social custom. The whole family eats together. This is what makes up the country Pakistan. Dating, marriage, family, housing, religion, and holidays are all cultural characteristics that are important to the country Pakistan.
Dating is rare, due to the fact that young men and women attend separate schools and need supervision to interact with each other (culturegrams.com). The opposite genders see each other socially at gatherings, family functions, marriages, funerals, or get togethers of family friends. The families consider romantic advances toward their “woman” as an attack on their family honor.
The individual choice of someone’s marriage partner is less common than arranged marriages. In some parts of the country, families arrange marriage before they are born (Pakistan Book). Some families even turn to a matchmaker. This is called a Wacholan. Some parents decide who their son will marry, but if the woman he asks family is higher in social or financial class, the choice to accept or decline rests with them. The marriage of your cousin is acceptable in Pakistan. It insures that family will marry within their castle. The ideal age for men and woman to marry is a big difference. For men it is 28-35 years old, for women it is 16-25years old. Engagements may last months to multiple years. It also depends on the age of the couple when the arrangements are made. The man’s parents usuall...
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Muslim is the most common practiced religion in Pakistan. 95% of the population is Muslims (75% Sunni Muslims and 20% Sh’I Muslims.) and the freedom of worship is allowed to anyone. Small communities of Hindu and Christen exist, although they vote separately from everyone else.
The following holidays are celebrated in Pakistan:
Pakistan Day (March 23)
Labor Day (May 1)
Independence Day (August 14)
Defense of Pakistan Day (September 6)
Anniversary of the death of Quaid-e-Azam (September 11)
Iqbal Day (November 9)
Birth of Quaid-e-Azam (December 25)
Pakistan is a growing country. The holidays, religion, housing, family, marriage, divorce, and dating make up just a bit of the country. Many other things make Pakistan a whole. The most important out of the characteristics discussed, family is at the top of the list to making the country special.
Belongingness is an emotion that everyone longs to feel throughout the course of their lives. Starting in adolescence, we as humans are naturally attracted to others in a romantic way. Girls in junior high start wearing make-up and dressing nice in order to impress the boys and get their attention. During this time, both girls and boys want a boyfriend or girlfriend, and are interested in this idea of “dating.” As boys and girls progress into high school, dating becomes even more of the thing to do. As a young teenager, I wanted to date, but my parents were against it. Many parents have a negative outlook about dating because of the consequences it may lead to, mainly sexual activity. Some believe that dating has changed drastically for the worse, but Beth Bailey believes differently. In Bailey’s article entitled “From Front Porch to Backseat: A History of the Date,” she analyzes the history of dating and how numerous people have not conceptualized this idea correctly. By showing authority, evidence, and values, Bailey presents an effective argument about the history of dating.
Dating back to the early 1900’s and all the way through to the present, romantic relationships have been viewed differently. From strict unwritten dating regulations to not having regulations at all, recent generations have become more liberated in making their own decisions. The progressing times have made us become a more accepting society and have caused a decrease in the strong practice of religion and class. Even though differences such as religion and class in relationships were more than an issue they were not always a complete deterrence.
Every culture has its own unique values, beliefs and norms. Culture defines the identity and interests of a society. Understanding other’s culture is crucial in preparing ourselves for the global experience in the twenty-first century. As the world is becoming more connected to each other, interaction between cultures is unavoidable. I consider myself lucky to live in one of the most diverse cities in the world where I get chance to interact with people of different cultures. In this paper, I will discuss my findings about Family Structure in a Mexican culture, and Dating and Marriage in an African / Gabonese culture. Having a chance to understand various cultures, I realized that beliefs and practices tend to vary from culture to culture.
National unity and ideology are the major political concerns in post colonial societies, that is why they used to apply assimilation strategy. This strategy is applied by the dominant groups. These groups might not hesitate to use state force in their own favour. So the state’s policies favour the powerful and dominant group. Pakistan is also one of the examples of plural societies. Here the state used to adopt assimilation policies to create national unity. Resultantly, the state has lost its Eastern Part. Still, various ethnic groups off and on show their resentment and different ethno nationalist movements are in the struggle to preserve identity. Following table is also helpful to show how the state of Pakistan
In Pakistan, people are stricken with poverty, the economy is unstable, and there are no opportunities to fulfill one’s goals. The U.S. economy is abundant and ripe with jobs. The only attribute is that one has to go out and want a job. Pakistan is more of a follower than a leader. It essentially adopts America’s ideals, but does not attain them. The poverty and unemployment rates are increasing daily. In many cases, one person works in the family and rest of the individuals sit back and play cricket or watch movies all day long. There is no hope of becoming a self-made person. The system is backwards and I think it requires a change. In contrast, living in Ameri...
The Indians practice of arranged marriages is to protect the strengths of their families. They too look to keep the beliefs and cultures strong within their dynasty. Families search out and find perspective brides and grooms for their sons and daughters. This allows for their sons and daughters to be more focused on school and work not really much different then marrying someone you already know. We must also look at the Hindus in southern India and their consanguinity, although there uncle-niece marriages were the socially preferred. Medical problems existed strong in these unions; the DNA was just to close causing birth defects to multiply in the offspring.
In the article Arranging a Marriage in India, Serena Nanda, a professor of Anthropology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, writes about what she learned about arranged marriages in India from interviewing informants and participating in arranging a marriage herself. Nanda brought in some American biases about how marriage and love are “supposed” to work. She initially had trouble accepting why someone would want or let another arrange their marriage instead of seeking a partner themselves. Nanda’s difficulty understanding arranged marriages, is a result of having grown up in a culture that leaves such decisions to the individual. Furthermore, if the quotes given in the article are an indication, Nanda let her biases influence her conduct
...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.
Dating means different things to different people. It’s an activity as two people in an “intimate” relationship (love and respect 2013). For Native Americans, Dating is considered to be as an American, but restrictions due to their term of dating in their culture. Under India tradition, the parents set up dating arrangements. Moreover, Indian teen’s males and females go on a group of friends on dates to get to know each other instead of a single date. Single dates are harder to get away with. (Gururajan happiness 2011). Other beliefs in India South Asia, replies strict rules dating are forbidding and women do not have a choice to choose who they want to date or married. This leads to young youths in India dating and having romances in secrets of their parents because the arrangement the parents select for their children, they seek different opinions about that mate or not comfortable with the selective mate their parents chose for dating. However, in America it’s completely the opposite relationship begins with courtship. Some parents allow their children to date at a certain age and when they allow their children to date. In the United State, parents set ground rules when their children are dating such as online dating, time restrictions to end their date night, personal informa...
Can traditional marriages survive in an egalitarian workplace? In their article on the subject, Christine E. Stanik, Susan M. McHale, and Ann C. Crouter, all researchers at Pennsylvania State University, found that in some cases egalitarianism can be compartmentalized, and that the workplace does not have to affect the home (Stanik, McHale, and Crouter 797). In those certain cases, traditional marriage and marital love should be thriving as our society adapts to a new era. In an article published by Administrative Science Quarterly, Sreedhari Desai and his coworkers research shows that most strong traditional marriages will be affected negatively by a shift of egalitarianism at work (Desai et al. 351). This means bad news for marriage,
During the early 20th Century, courtship began to take place outside of the home, and although the strict formalities of the dating game were generally loosened, many new conventions were impose...
is the most usual in which a man and a woman unite themselves in the
Love conquers everything. Or at least, that’s what Romeo and Juliet thought. But marriage and love can be complicated, and some argue that marrying someone who shares your religious beliefs can make things much easier. Is having the same religious and spiritual beliefs part of criteria many people use when seeking a marriage partner? It is strongly felt that the person they are going to marry should have the same traditions and customs, and intensity of belief as they themselves do. For them, it is an imperative part of marriage. A correlation exists between religious shared beliefs in marriage and marital satisfaction, although the nature of the relationship is not certain. History says that religion starts wars. If that is true, what will it do to a dual-religion marriage? This paper will discuss people’s views on why it is actually a major criterion to have a partner that has the same religious beliefs.
One of the reoccurring themes that became apparent throughout the interview was the concept of relationships, culture and avoidance in dating. Dating is the process whereby two people meet socially for companionships, beyond the level of friendships with the aim for suitability as a partner in an intimate relationships or marriage. The process of dating is impacted by past experiences, family dynamics, cultural, beliefs and customs. These relationships produce a strong connections between family members, education, cultural. The young man, interview #2 stayed away from people from the same culture because, of avoidance of finding a mate similar to his mother. He stated, “I have dated someone form the same culture but,
Pakistan has all the major ingredients necessary to become a developed nation; it has a geo-strategic location, a generous availability of natural resources and a large population in the working age. Despite having the potential to turn itself into a developed country, Pakistan has not been able to fulfill its potential.