What Is Marriage?

Marriage is a kinship-based societal institution that almost all cultures of the world have in common. Looking at it from a very objective point of view, we find that a marriage between two people is a contract that depicts how the two people in question are going to cohabitate with each other. This can include living in the same house, sharing various household items, having children, as well as many other aspects that come with living together. However, if one is to look at it from a subjective point of view, we find that a marriage is much more than that. It can mean two people sharing the love for each other, and in some cultures – such as in India – it is much more than just the communion of two people: it is the communion of two families. …show more content…
This is because of the cultural norms and ideas about marriage surrounding the women in the Indian culture. In the Indian culture, it is not considered a good thing for the girl as well as for the girl’s family if the girl is not married young and early. Women are pressurized by their parents as well as the culture around them to get married at an early age and to have children. This is something that tends to affect the women’s decision to start working and having a career. In this regard, it has been noted that India has the lowest percentage of women in the workforce, as women tend to get married off at an early age and then they are expected to stay home and take care of the husband, home, and children. This is something that is very different about marriage in India compared to the US and other Western countries. This is because in the US and Western countries, women are not so much pressurized to get married at such an early age and they do not stop working nor are they expected to stay home and take care of the domestic issues other than the …show more content…
In many cultures, the family of the bride who is pretty and young would want her to get married to another family that is higher in societal class than them so that they are able to move up in the society. In this regard, another odd thing about the Indian marriage is the idea of dowry. A dowry is wealth that a woman brings to the family. In this regard, many men are also interested in marrying richer women because their family would provide a lot of dowry for the groom’s family. This can include house furniture, various appliances, gold, jewelry, car, and in some cases, even a house itself. Dowry is a controversial issue in India because in many cases, the family of the groom is able to exploit the bride’s family, especially if the bride’s family is desperate to get the bride married