Arranged Marriages

How Popular Are Arranged Marriages?
By Sharon White

Endogamy, or in other words, an arranged marriage, is a way of choosing a partner in marriage for a woman or man. Usually, the parents will choose, who will marry their son or daughter. Endogamy is popular in countries of Asia and Africa, particularly in China, Japan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and India.

Thousands of years ago, love marriages (marriages based on love) were common in East Indian culture. This type of marriage was called swamber and it became a problem because many people chose a partner for their appearance and/or wealth. Marriages started to fail and social leaders became concerned with swamber. Arranged marriages were introduced and they became very popular. Anthropology is probably the most important discipline when researching arranged marriages. Reason being is because anthropology is the study of the culture and customs of human beings, and arranged marriages occur because of the beliefs and customs of some cultures. Different cultures believe in different types of marriage and it is important to study a culture in order to find out why they believe in certain customs. This research report focuses on how arranged marriages take place, why they occur, and the benefits and drawbacks of the process.

There are many different ways in which an arranged marriage can take place. The most extreme form is called a forced marriage where the bride and groom have no choice but to marry each other. These marriages take place in the traditional Chinese practice and some upper Caste Hindu families. The less extreme form is where the future bride and groom have a say in the decision of their marriage. If one of them decides they do not want to go through with the arranged marriage, the marriage will not take place. In the Islamic religion, forced marriages are forbidden. Marriages must only take place with the consent of both partners, and they have a right to disagree with their parent?s choice. Every culture has a different tradition as to at what age the marriage is arranged, who arranges it, and who has to agree with it for the marriage to take place.