Arranged Marriage Essay

What would you do if your parents forced you to marry someone you have never met before? Believe it or not, in the past, this was common for many young men and women. People as young as fourteen years of age were arranged to marry someone whom they had never talked to. This practice, known as arranged marriage, developed in many foreign countries, such as South Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, Southeast Asia and parts of East Asia, centuries ago. Back then, arranging two people to get married was not as foreign as it is today. Many people were part of the practice and it was considered common. However, times have changed. Although arranged marriages were more prevalent in earlier times, they can still be found in the world today.

Since the fourth century, arranged marriages have been a part of the Indian culture. Many believe that it was practiced to reinforce the social, economic, religious, and geographic principals of India. Arranged marriages have six functions in the Indian community: (1) helps maintain the social satisfaction system in the society; (2) gives parents control, over family members; (3) enhances the chances to preserve and continue the ancestral lineage; (4) provides an opportunity to strengthen the kinship group; (5) allows the consolidation and extension of family property; (6) enables the elders to preserve the principle of endogamy, or marrying within certain limits ("In Love with India..."). Centuries ago, arranged marriages were more predominant in the upper class. As time went on, arranging marriages moved to the middle and lower classes too. Today, the Indian government says that 95% of the marriages in India are arranged (Lai).

An arranged marriage is essentially the opposite of a love marr...

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...arents have chosen, rarely will the parents will choose a new one. But, most of the requests are denied ("Traditional Arranged Marriages"). In addition to parental involvement, another disadvantage is that the child has no say in who their future husband or wife is. Even if a child has fallen in love with someone else while growing up, they probably will not marry him or her. In more modern times, parents look for possible suitors on online dating sites. The mothers of many men make calls to professional matchmakers requesting for an ivy league educated, beautiful, slim girl (Lai). Parents have very strict requirements for the suitors.

Arranging two people to get married was more prevalent many years ago. In many countries, the practice could be considered normal. However, over time the number of arranged marriages have decreased and love marriages became dominant.