A Research of Arranged Marriages in The Modern World

Marriage is one of the oldest family institutions. It entails two people coming together with the aim of starting a family. Ideally, two people decide to get married after familiarizing themselves with each other and falling in love. However, arranged marriages are still common practices that are prevalent in Asian countries such as India. In most cases, it is the parents who decide the marriage partners of their children. The paper explores why people opt for arranged marriages, the success of such couples in the absence of advice and how such marriages work without the support of experts and the science of matchmaking.

There a number of reasons that have made many people opt for arranged marriages despite the high risks involved. Foremost, parents believe that they are better placed to make decisions on who their children should marry because of their experiences with marital life. Young people also feel incapacitated to make such critical decisions on their own. Secondly, some of the young people are too busy in their careers that they cannot get ample time to date or find a marriage partner. They, therefore, delegate this responsibility to their parents. Another explanation would be that arranged marriages are deeply ingrained in some cultures. Consequently, some people may fear that choosing a marriage partner on their own departs from the established traditions and code of conduct. Arranged marriages involve bringing together people who know very little about each other. For such marriages to work, expert advice is needed for the partners to resolve misunderstandings and differences in an amicable manner. Unfortunately, there are times when the newly wedded couple is left to their own devices. In such instances, divorce becomes imminent. There are cases where such a marriage breaks on the first wedding night. However, in most of the cases, the couple tries to salvage their marriage and may, therefore, try to make things work for a few months or years. However, without expert advice, such marriages eventually lead to divorce.

There are a lot of dynamics in the success or failure of arranged marriages in the absence of support from marriage experts and the science of matchmaking. For instance, where the marriage partners are compatible with each other, there is a low risk of such marriages failing. Moreover, the character traits of the couple play a role in determining whether the arranged marriage will work. In particular, marriage partners who are accommodative of each other’s flaws can navigate the challenges of marriage life without the need for any expert advice. However, if there are irreconcilable differences between the two partners, no matter the amount of determination for the marriage to work, such people may be forced by circumstances to dissolve their marriage. It is apparent that arranged marriages will continue being in existence for the foreseeable future despite the increased condemnation of the practice. The success of such marriages will be hinged on a multitude of factors which include but not limited to the availability of matchmaking, expert advice, compatibility of marriage partners with each and determination to make the arranged marriage work at all costs. Nevertheless, given that such marriages are based on flimsy grounds and not on love, it is anticipated that these forms of marriages will be marred by high rates of misunderstanding, violence and in most cases; they will end in a divorce.