Although the modern social norms of western cultures expect marriage to be based on love and a strong bond between two people, this is not the basis for marriage in all cultures or societies. Although the greater parts of arranged marriages aren’t intended to be forced, the couples are given the chance to oppose their chosen partners if they don’t feel that the marriage would be a success. In other cases, the couples have no choice; it’s a sign of disrespect to refuse. Many people have a major misunderstanding of the arranged marriage. Many cultures world-wide have believed in the tradition of arranged marriages for many Centuries and some still practice it today. The best way to understand the reasoning
behind such cultures is to put aside your own beliefs, opinions, and preconceived ideas in order to see more clearly before dismissing it has wrong. One of the most difficult changes to make in a marriage is the acceptance of your partners’ beliefs and or values compared to what you believe. And yet, in arranged marriages it’s assumed that the couple is perfectly matched, as the families of their son or daughter will choose prospective partners from the same culture, religion, and social class. The similar back ground can ease the process of good communication as well as reduce conflict in any and all decisions such as how the children should be raised.
In many cultures the spouse will sometimes live with or in the same neighborhood of their partners’ family. In difficult times, this could mean that they have a strong social network on hand to provide support. In other cases, the interference from the family members or other people within the neighborhood may seem like they are interfering. On the other hand, when there are problems that need solved, having a person nearby to act as a mediator or counselor is beneficial.
Contrary to the “old “ arranged marriage, in which children are forbidden from choosing their own partners, the modern arranged marriage is not about being forced into federation. It’s about relying on their match making mastery of Mom and Dad (Holly McKay 2007). One of major criticism made of arranged marriages is that love takes a back seat and that the emphasis is rather a social standing and cultural back ground. These cultures tend to value the social and economic possibility of the marriage over the strength of emotion between the couple.
It's important to understand both the distinctions between arranged and forced marriage and the fact that they sometimes overlap. While arranged marriages have brought happiness and stability to couples and communities, forced marriages are by nature exploitative and unequal (Amanda Kloer, 2009). They key factor present in an arranged marriage is the consent of both people getting married to be matched and married through a third party arrangement. (Amanda Kloer, 2009) Forced marriages are arranged, but without the consent of both parties --specifically, usually without the woman's consent (Amanda Kloer, 2009).
It is often easy to dismiss concepts that we are not familiar with or that we do not understand, yet, by taking an open-minded approach, it’s usually apparent that any marriage contains just as many advantages as disadvantages
Reference list
McKay, Holly (June 29, 2009) Because mom said so: Are Arranged Marriages the next big Trend? http://foxnews.com/0,3566,287211,00.html retrieved April 11, 2010.
Kloer, Amanda (September 8, 2009) Arranged Marriage vs. Forced Marriage. http://humantrafficking.change.org/blog/view/arranged_marriage_vs_forced_marriage Retrieved April 11, 2010.