Aspects of Arranged Marriage : In Western Cultures
Though arranged marriage practices are rarely seen in western countries in the traditional sense, certain aspects of arranged marriages in India have been adopted by marriage practices of western cultures. Certain aspects and standards of traditional arranged marriages have been transformed to be commonly seen in western culture. Some aspects of marriage in western culture that have been derived from traditional arranged marriage are (Arranged Marriage Traditions Live on in the US):
- Asking parents for their blessing or their son/daughter’s hand in marriage
- Having a potential spouse meet your family before marriage
- Parents or Family Members sometimes set up people they think will be a good match
To ensure a potential spouse will fit into a family, potential spouses will bring them home to meet the family to seek approval. It is also common for people to marry other people with similar qualities as them because of how they were raised, no matter if that means race, gender, or religion. Research shows that 77 percent of suitors still think it’s important to gain the parents’ permission before getting married (Marrying Couples Still Seek Parental Approval). Family approval is important to many people. Also, blind dates are common when family members or mutual friends set up people they think will be a good match. Since, importance of family when seeking marriage is valued greatly in western cultures and cultures in India there are many similarities.
Relating Marriage Practices in India to Western Culture
Support of families is the most apparent commonality between marriages practices in western culture and Indian culture. It is common for family members to play a part in helping someone find a potential spouse by setting up a blind date. This is similar to marriages in India where it is common for parents to chose a potential spouse for their child who they approve of. It is also common for family to play a part throughout the relationship of a couple. While in western cultures, it is common to ask for the parents’ blessing before marriage, and in India parents are involved in the marriage process as well. While majority of population in western cultures still value their family’s approval, family approval is still involved in marriages in India. The environment that people have been brought up in influences how strongly they value their families approval. Strict upbringing and strong values/beliefs in India affect people in India to long for family approval, while the stereotypical American family is surrounded around family approval. Family life plays a very important and valued role throughout marriage practices around the world.
Perspective of a Young Adult in America:
Coming from the perspective of a young adult in America, approval of my family is important to me. Although I am not close to being married, I like to think that when the time comes when I meet the person I want to marry, my family will approve. It is very important to me that they do. Before researching , I was completely against arranged marriage practices. I thought of arranged marriage practices as being forced to marry someone, but I was wrong. In arranged marriages, spouses are so carefully chosen that most couples are still happy, maybe not head over heels in love with each other, but still satisfied. They are satisfied because the marriage practices are based upon their culture and upon getting the approval of their parents and society, and making their parents proud. This applies to my ideology because my family is very important to me. Although I want to marry someone I am in love with, my family’s approval is still important to me. I want my future spouse to get along with my family, and I want my family to like my future spouse. Although the cultures in India, eastern countries, and in western countries are very different, family life is important everywhere and finding a spouse that gets along with your family is very important.
Arranged Marriages in India 