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compare and contrast marraige in india and america
how does marriage in india compared to america similarities\
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marriages that occur in India and the United States have several dramatic differences. Marriages in India are based solely on parental decisions, whereas in the United States a marriage is based on individualism. Who, why and how the spouse is chosen, is very different in both countries. Most Americans date to discover who their future spouse is going to be, and they know the person very well before marriage. In India, dating is not something that occurs. Most individuals in India do not have any interaction with the bride or groom prior to their wedding day, therefore, they do not personally know who they are marrying (Nanda 624). Though these differences exist, pros and cons reflect on each of them.
In India, most marriages are arranged by the parents of the individual and relatives. Decision-making is based on the parents’ qualifications and what they are wanting out of the future spouse for their son or daughter. Though an arranged marriage is based solely on the parents’ qualifications, it is becoming more prevalent for the son or daughter to ask their parents to look for certain qualifications that they, personally, would prefer. In some situations, the child will ask the parent if they can arrange a marriage with an individual whom they love or have fallen in love with. Most parents have no problem in involving their children in the decision-making when asked to do so. Though children are having more say-so in their arranged marriage, final decisions and most qualifications are based solely on the parents of the individual.
The search for an individual, who matches these qualifications best, can sometimes take years because parents are very decisive in choosing the right spouse. Some parents start the day their child is...
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...just an example of cultural differences and upbringings in these two countries. In India parental decision-making is considered the better way to get a suitable spouse, and in the U.S. being in-love is the better way.
Works Cited
Story? Nanda?McDonald, Ann, and Jack Trotter. World Views: Classic and
Contemporary Readings. Boston: Pearson pages/ Custom Publishing, 2008. Print
"Profile: Tradition of arranged marriages in India." Day To Day. (26 Jan. 2005):
Literature Resource Center. Gale. Trident Technical College. 3 Dec. 2009 .
Thottam, Jyoti "A Suitable Arrangement." ON Magazine 6.1 (2001): 36. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 3 Dec. 2009.
Sheila B. Lalwani. "Arranged Quite Nicely." Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Milwaukee, WI) 25 Apr 2005: n.p. SIRS Researcher. Web. 03 December 2009.
As you can see, marriage can come in different celebrations but they all constitute the fact that marriage is an institution in which man and woman come together as one. Aditi and Hermant’s marriage was no different compared those in this study. Al-Zu’abi (2008) states that urbanization plays a key role in influencing perceptions of marriage and that marriage patterns are formed and reformed according to culture. The final point is, marriage is a basic institution of any society no matter the culture difference.
For Centuries in our society marriage between man and woman has been a practiced cultural right and custom. Over 90% of Americans will marry in their lifetime and roughly 50% of those marriages will result in Divorce. Many Sociological factors contribute to the high divorce rate expressed in our culture. Reasons that contribute to the divorce rate are longer life expectancy, women in the work force, birth control, social acceptance of cohabitation, single parenting and welfare reform. It is also now socially acceptable and legal to get a divorce due to dissatisfaction and unhappiness. This social acceptance of divorce implies that today there is a changing criteria when entering marriage. Couples today now insist on the element of personal fulfillment and happiness for entering wedlock, where as, in times past this was not one of the main considerations for man and woman to get married.
Therefore, American and Hindu weddings are very different from one another. From who picks their spouse and when the day of the wedding will be. American weddings don’t last as long as Hindu weddings do which would be a relieve for some people.
The culture that exists in America is one that is constantly changing to suit the times and the many different types of people that reside in the country. One aspect of American culture that has changed profoundly is the institution of marriage. Marriage began as the undisputed lifestyle for couples willing to make the ultimate commitment to one another. However in less than a century, pointless and destructive alternatives such as premarital cohabitation, have developed to replace marriage.
It wasn’t that long ago that two people formerly had very little say in their mate selection. That major decision was left up to their parents, specifically those of the woman. Oh, how times have changed. Today, a couple sometimes doesn’t even seek the approval of their parents and their personal preferences take precedence. However, the early stages of family formation can be affected by many things in society. The three earliest stages, consisting of dating, including the emergence of the hook-up culture, cohabitation and marriage are often affected heavily by race, social class or socioeconomic status, and gender. In this paper I will be analyzing how each of these social aspects affects each of the early stages of family formation in the order in which they typically occur starting with dating and ending with marriage.
According to the author, Lizette Alvarez, in the article “Arranged Marriages Get a Little Reshuffling”, Arranged marriages are better than modern marriages and parents can choose good mates for young. First, the arranged marriage has changed a lot in modern time. Arranged marriages are more flexible because young people can meet several times in some public venues without family members. Parents and elders have become more lenient. Second, arranged marriages have more advantages than modern marriages. Arranged marriages can preserve religion and identity and help people to find their mates in the same social class. Arranged marriages can outlast modern marriages because couples can avoid social and religions disharmony. Finally, young people prefer arranged marriage to modern marriage. Young people would spend less time to find their mate because their parents, chat rooms and dating websites help find mates for them. Young people can easily find their mates who have the same education level and social status. As a young person, I do not agree with the author because other people migh...
Being pressured into marriage, and having a weight of knowing to not disappoint your parents challenges one's ability to find their own true happiness and love without being overwhelmed with what the family truly wants their child’s wife personality to
The institution of marriage is treated differently between the two cultures. Marriage practices are not so important in the American culture, and couples are free to choose; to follow common or to choose a combination of practices. The Americans have not consistently followed their practices and customs and in some cases have adopted other practices. The American culture is not strong on the institution of marriage as it is for India. The current American society does not consider marriage institution; its importance comes after career and financial matters. This is evident in the way the society perceives marriages; marriages are secondary to career and financial matters. Americans can choose to divorce in order to pursue career of because of financial matters. The high rates of divorce also explain how the society views the institution of marriage. India considers the marriage institution as very important and should be treated with all respect by all in the society. The importance of the marriage institution is evident from the marriage practices that have remained consistent in the Indian cu...
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
The first difference between American culture and Indian culture is marriage. A wedding is a great social event in our society, which establish a new bond between two individuals and families. Marriage is a joyful occasion with plenty of music, dance, partying and merrymaking. It also brings together a long-lost friends, relatives and acquaintances. In India, the parents choose the mate for their child, which is called an arranged marriage. In most cases, the bri...
After marriage, more of these values are expected to be carried on is the way the family decisions are made and the ways things are done. The male is known as the authority figure in the family. An Indian woman has to abide be what the men say and basically allow him to run the show. This does not say that he has no responsibilities, because that is wrong be all means. He has a responsibility to support the family and show the children how to work the fields and support the family.
For thousands of years until today, the best way to officially be the partner of someone is through marriage. People have practiced marriage for thousands of years. Many cultures see marriage as the best method to celebrate the love of a couple until death tears them apart. “Marriage establishes and maintains family, creates and sustains the ties of kinship, and is the basis of community” (Rowe 2). Marriage is a concept bigger than ones happiness and it is the basic for creating a peaceful home for the family. According to Rowe, “This sense of home requires the dynamic participation of both women and men--the women to mother and the men to father--to fulfill the daily roles of teaching, nurturing and protecting children” ( 2). Parents have an obligation to take care for children, so that when they grow up they are able to become a person who is strong enough to support himself. But there are different opinions whether raising a child should be shared equally between parents. One group thinks that it is essential for a child to grow up with the love and care of both parents. Meanwhile, others believe that child raising should be shared in a way that suits the family. While single parents argue that even without one parent they can give their children the needed love and care.
Young marriage has an impressive number of disadvantages and bad repercussions that can be observed in most of the early wedded couples’ lives. While most boys have a say in when and who they marry, and what they do once they are married, many girls do not get the chance to make these decisions. Husbands of young wives are often older men who expect their wives to follow traditions, stay home, and undertake household and child-care duties; or non mature irresponsible young men who consider themselves able to pull such a burden. Early marriage involves huge responsibility from male, especially financial support. Combining job and education is not an easy case to deal with. So, early marriage has a high possibility of putting an end o...
Almost every culture around the world have the idea of bringing together households in marriage. In the United States, this a coupling of two people who will start a life on their own. In India, a marriage is more than two people falling and love and getting married. Family, religion and casts play a role for the future bride and groom. The Indian culture’s weddings have different traditions when it comes to proposals, ring traditions and ceremonies not only for the couple but for the families as well.
Marriage is a lifetime engagement and traditions in Eastern cultures. Marriages not only do couples get together and take vows to live together, but their families build a lifelong bond. On the other hand, in Western society arranged marriages are not common in the daily life; that is, the point of love is meant to be found, not arranged. In the West, love is to find that someone whereby the couples will spend the rest of their life together. According to Hai, Thu a Vietnamese author, arranged marriages are the method whereby the parents find someone for that person; they are deciding if he or she is fit for the position. Some people could not imagine that Americans who would appreciate the idea of being set together with someone they do not know. To solve this idea and lowering the divorce rate, scientists have expanded the knowledge of personality and relationships. The author brings that various tools have been built to help men and women identify a perfect marriage spouse.