Advantages And Disadvantages Of Arranged Marriages

An arranged marriage is a marriage planned by a third party, such as a family member or a guardian of the bride and groom. This form of marriage is practiced in certain religions and third-world countries. Judaism and Hinduism practice arranged marriages, “Several religions practice arranged marriages. Hindu and Jewish matchmakers abound, for instance” (Burke). Arranged marriages are widely practiced in third-world countries such as India, where “eighty-three percent of marriages in India are arranged”(“Statistic Brain”). Arranged marriages can be forced which is when a third party member coerces the bride and the groom into marriage. The bride and groom do not consent to the marriage, whereas in an arranged marriage they agree to marry …show more content…
In “Arranging a Marriage in India” Nanda states the disadvantages of arranged marriages. Although the use of a dowry in India is illegal, Nanda explains that a dowry is however, still used in India. In India’s culture, it is customary for the two families to exchange gifts; this is not a form of an illegal dowry. Providing a dowry in India becomes illegal when one family needs money from the other family in order to go forward with the arrangement or to ensure the physical and emotional safety of the bride. This form of dowry usually occurs in the family of the bride when she is living with the extended family of the groom. Nanda explains how the groom’s family will tease or hurt the bride in order to receive the dowry payment. There is no set payment for this illegal arrangement, which can cause the bride’s family to have to pay her spouses’ family for the rest of the marriage. There have been instances where the bride has been murdered, and the family reported her death as a suicide or an accident in order to arrange another marriage for their son to receive another dowry. Another disadvantage to arranged marriages is forced marriages. Forced marriages are when a third party member forces the bride and groom to marry. Neither the bride nor the groom has a choice in whether they marry the chosen spouse. This form of arranged marriage is still used today in third-world countries. In the past, this form of marriage was used for political reasons. For example, in order to form an alliance between two countries, one country would arrange the marriage of their prince to another country’s princess. However, forced marriages today are not performed in order to create an alliance between two countries but to create a social and economic alliance between two families. This form of an arranged marriage is forced for the rest of the bride and groom’s life, and