• Problems in Arranged Marriages
The Negative Aspects of Letting Your Parents Decide Who to Marry
The custom of arranging marriages is still practiced in many African countries and in India. What are the drawbacks and demerits of having an assisted marriage?
Having an arranged marriage may be very convenient and beneficial in many respects, but it can also have its problems. Here are some of the negative sides of prearranged marriages.
Forced or Arranged Marriage?
Arranged marriages may be regarded as coercion if young people are forced into a marriage they don’t want. If either bride or groom are being made to marry without their consent, this has to be regarded as a violation of the fundamental human right of self-determination and personal freedom.
Although an arranged marriage is by definition different from a forced marriage, some degree of compulsion or persuasion is often used. Parents may have several ways of pushing their agenda, for example by threatening to disinherit a disobedient child or simply by openly displaying animosity or anger. As far as India is concerned, however, the young people’s right to veto the suggestions or decision of their parents has become more and more common.
Being Married to Someone One Doesn’t Like
One grave important drawback of arranged marriages is of course the possibility of being married to someone one partner doesn’t like or – even worse – find personally repulsive. But this applies only to those forms of arranged marriages where force or strong persuasion is used and young people have no right to veto. Besides, love and affection may take some time to sprout in the heart. On the other hand, even people in love marriages may develop strong feelings of dislike or even repulsion for someone they once chose freely and out of strong affection.
The Negative Social Implications of Arranged Matrimony
Arranged marriage