Arranged Marriages In The Indian And American Culture
Amy Taylor
English 0990
July 4, 2011
Arranged Marriages in the Indian and American Culture
Every country and every religion have their own traditions. It is what makes their culture different from each other. The American and Indian cultures have a vast differentiation between them. While the culture of America is a mixture of different cultures, the Indian culture is unique and has its own values. Even though dating and marriage have the same meaning to him and her in every culture, the meaning of their relationships and wedding celebrations to him and her are different.
An Indian wedding is essentially different from a typical American wedding. No matter how different a culture is different from one another, the outcome is initially the same. The vast majority of Indians have their marriages planned by their parents and any other respected family members. In an “Introduction only” arranged marriage, the parents may only introduce their son or daughter to a potential spouse. From that point on, it is up to the children to manage the relationship, and make a choice. There is no set time …show more content…
period, but the whole purpose of marriage is to have a family, which in Indian culture, they feel is important. When arranging a wedding in America, almost anything goes. Some American couples plan conventional weddings; some decide to plan a traditional wedding. That involves months and months of planning. Couples exchange vows in a church, Plan a reception, and a honeymoon. Other couple elopes, but either way you do it, it is planned upon your own personality.
When looking for a potential spouse, here are factors considered in matchmaking.
Indian cultures look for wealth. Families holding substantial assets may prefer to marry to another wealthy family. Religion is another important trait. The religious and spiritual beliefs can play a large role in finding a suitable spouse. Another trait is Vocation. For a groom, the profession of a doctor, accountant, lawyer, or engineer is traditionally valued as excellent spouse material. Any profession commanding relatively high income is a given preference. Vocation is less important for a bride. For Americans, looking for the same traits in marriage are nearly the same. The person arranging the marriages is looking for education, wealth, profession, and religion, and parent material. If someone is not arranging the marriage, the daters are looking for compatibility, and
love.
There are several arguments in favor or arranged marriages. Here are some of the most popular for the Indian and American culture. Statistics place the divorce rate for arranged marriages lower. Allowed individuals may have a harder time finding a mate such as not being social, or disabled. A person can be very happy having a stable and healthy family. Love does not necessary need to be there in marriage in order to be happy. Amongst the arguments against arranged marriage, the most prominent are that arranged marriage is as good or as bad as the people arranging it. A forced mismatch, based on the values important to the arranger may not be as important to the parties involved.
Many people have a misunderstanding of arranged marriages, and have negative attitudes towards them. The best way to understand the reasoning being the cultures is through your own beliefs and opinions.
English 0990
July 4, 2011
Arranged Marriages in the Indian and American Culture
Every country and every religion have their own traditions. It is what makes their culture different from each other. The American and Indian cultures have a vast differentiation between them. While the culture of America is a mixture of different cultures, the Indian culture is unique and has its own values. Even though dating and marriage have the same meaning to him and her in every culture, the meaning of their relationships and wedding celebrations to him and her are different.
An Indian wedding is essentially different from a typical American wedding. No matter how different a culture is different from one another, the outcome is initially the same. The vast majority of Indians have their marriages planned by their parents and any other respected family members. In an “Introduction only” arranged marriage, the parents may only introduce their son or daughter to a potential spouse. From that point on, it is up to the children to manage the relationship, and make a choice. There is no set time …show more content…
period, but the whole purpose of marriage is to have a family, which in Indian culture, they feel is important. When arranging a wedding in America, almost anything goes. Some American couples plan conventional weddings; some decide to plan a traditional wedding. That involves months and months of planning. Couples exchange vows in a church, Plan a reception, and a honeymoon. Other couple elopes, but either way you do it, it is planned upon your own personality.
When looking for a potential spouse, here are factors considered in matchmaking.
Indian cultures look for wealth. Families holding substantial assets may prefer to marry to another wealthy family. Religion is another important trait. The religious and spiritual beliefs can play a large role in finding a suitable spouse. Another trait is Vocation. For a groom, the profession of a doctor, accountant, lawyer, or engineer is traditionally valued as excellent spouse material. Any profession commanding relatively high income is a given preference. Vocation is less important for a bride. For Americans, looking for the same traits in marriage are nearly the same. The person arranging the marriages is looking for education, wealth, profession, and religion, and parent material. If someone is not arranging the marriage, the daters are looking for compatibility, and
love.
There are several arguments in favor or arranged marriages. Here are some of the most popular for the Indian and American culture. Statistics place the divorce rate for arranged marriages lower. Allowed individuals may have a harder time finding a mate such as not being social, or disabled. A person can be very happy having a stable and healthy family. Love does not necessary need to be there in marriage in order to be happy. Amongst the arguments against arranged marriage, the most prominent are that arranged marriage is as good or as bad as the people arranging it. A forced mismatch, based on the values important to the arranger may not be as important to the parties involved.
Many people have a misunderstanding of arranged marriages, and have negative attitudes towards them. The best way to understand the reasoning being the cultures is through your own beliefs and opinions.