Arranged marriages make Westerners uncomfortable. Individualism is as ingrained in American culture as much as possible, so that one can 't even turn on the television without being assaulted with messages like 'just be yourself ', and 'let them make their own choices '. To tell an American that they don 't get to decide who they will marry is to ask for ranting, yelling, and perhaps even violence. It 's unthinkable. However, this does not make it immoral. Cultures differ all the time. Asians dine with chopsticks while Westerners use forks. Europeans might greet someone with a kiss, while the Japanese prefer to bow. Such distinct practices should be recognized not as morally inferior, but as diverse and intriguing. Only if a person 's autonomy
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This practice is alive and flourishing in India today, and Psych Today says that 75% of Indians prefer arranged marriages over a free-choice one (Dholakia). In India, only about 1 in 100 marriages end in divorce (Dholakia). What causes this practice to flourish in India, one might ask. Generally, the arranged marriage involves searching for a match, background checks, determining marriage logistics, and an engagement period (NWE). They participants are also usually paired with someone in their social and economical caste, so they have quite a lot in common to start …show more content…
'. It 's a good question. What separates the statistically happy Indian couples from the statistically unhappy child marriages? It could be the fact that many Indians today, upon deciding they don 't want to marry their set partners, have a sort of veto power (Chicago Tribune). However, most child brides are not given a choice. Their futures are decided for them by their parents, and they marry mostly so their families can have a bride price or because the parents think this will offer the children 'protection '. In 1989, the Convention on the Rights of the Child defined children as persons under the age of 18 years (Nour). Today, over 60 million marriages include girls under the age of 18 years (Nour). Such child brides are expected to marry a stranger, live away from their families, take care of the new household, and mother children. Surely, if children cannot make decisions by themselves yet, they should not be forced to raise their
This practice is alive and flourishing in India today, and Psych Today says that 75% of Indians prefer arranged marriages over a free-choice one (Dholakia). In India, only about 1 in 100 marriages end in divorce (Dholakia). What causes this practice to flourish in India, one might ask. Generally, the arranged marriage involves searching for a match, background checks, determining marriage logistics, and an engagement period (NWE). They participants are also usually paired with someone in their social and economical caste, so they have quite a lot in common to start …show more content…
'. It 's a good question. What separates the statistically happy Indian couples from the statistically unhappy child marriages? It could be the fact that many Indians today, upon deciding they don 't want to marry their set partners, have a sort of veto power (Chicago Tribune). However, most child brides are not given a choice. Their futures are decided for them by their parents, and they marry mostly so their families can have a bride price or because the parents think this will offer the children 'protection '. In 1989, the Convention on the Rights of the Child defined children as persons under the age of 18 years (Nour). Today, over 60 million marriages include girls under the age of 18 years (Nour). Such child brides are expected to marry a stranger, live away from their families, take care of the new household, and mother children. Surely, if children cannot make decisions by themselves yet, they should not be forced to raise their