"The role of westernization in the undermining of arranged marriages- is that a white dress?"

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“The role of westernization in the undermining of arranged marriages- is that a white dress?”  

                           ABSTRACT

     My aim was to investigate whether second and  third generation Pakistanis had undergone westernisation in the process of which whether or not they had moved away from arranged marriages. By westernisation I will take to mean whether they hold value systems that are prevalent in the west. Examples of this could be independence, individuality, materialism and romantic love as opposed to dependency on family and community, obedience, passivity and arranged marriages.  I decided to look at Muslims in particular because religion may have influenced their view towards issues of love, marriage and family commitments. Religion is often a key determinant of the actions and views of individuals. This research was based in Peterborough where the majority of the Pakistani community is from Kashmir, parents tend to be very traditional, from rural areas and very strict.  

     I decided to obtain my results from a combination of 15 questionnaires on 16-18 year olds from my Sixthform and 5 interviews on 16-30 year olds. The sample chosen was random so that it would be representative of the target population and hence generalisations could be made.

     I have found out that second and third generation Pakistanis have become westernised and so are moving away from the old traditions and their parents’ way of thinking. However their love and respect for their parents coupled with pressure from the family and community corners them into a situation where the only real choice they feel they have is to have an arranged marriage. Most would rather not have an arranged marriage but as yet they cannot say no, they have however modified it slightly so they have a combination of a western style relationship and a arranged marriage. But if things continue to change then it is inevitable that arranged marriages will become very rare among the next generations.

     In an evaluation of this study, it was found that it had some shortcomings. Namely that the sample was limited to the deacons school sixthform and to Peterborough, my sample was also quite small due to the time restrictions, this means that the study is not representative of all second and third generation Muslim Pakistanis in the UK. Also my study relied upon the participants being completely honest and truthful, but this may not have been the case with all the responses as a result of peer pressure, conformity or the fact that I myself am a Pakistani.

         

            AIMS & HYPOTHESIS

      Westernization means to become influenced by western practices and customs. Therefore the aim of this personal study is to see if and how the western culture, norms and values have undermined ie weakened and challenged the worth of arranged marriages.

     I hypothesise that second and third generation Muslim Pakistanis living in Britain are more likely to have turned away from arranged marriages as a result of living in a western country. This is because they have been influenced by the western notions of love and romance hence they will discard arranged marriages in favour of love marriages.

     In my study I will look for any signs physical or psychological that suggest the participant is moving away from the Pakistani culture towards the western culture.

                   

                  RATIONALE

     An arranged marriage refers to a situation in which marriage partners are selected primarily by someone other than the partners themselves. These other persons usually tend to be parents but can also be other kin such as an elderly relative or respected member of the community. Arranged marriages are not rare as a large percentage of the world’s community engages in this practice. It is believed that arranged marriages

help to maintain social stratification, maintain and strengthen parental control, keep family traditions and value system, extend family property and maintain the tradition of endogamy. Endogamy refers to the idea that individuals should marry partners very much like themselves in terms of class, religion, similar educational background and financial situation. Thus arranged marriages have more practical considerations than do love marriages. Alibahi-Brown in “Marriage of Minds not Hearts” (1993) defines arranged marriages as being based on responsibility, stability and maturity that a marriage demands. She argues that in such marriages people look for “wisdom, patience and good sense” rather than “exciting qualities.” She describes the romantic scene as a “circus” and feels that it is degrading and competitive. She states that because of the cultural arrogance of the British society, many people do not consider that arranged marriages might be a more reliable and dignified way of finding a partner.

     This research was done quite recently (1993) which means that it has greater significance.  It suggests that arranged marriages are not highly regarded by the western community. When linked to my study it would thus suggest that westernisation will indeed undermine arranged marriages. This is because second and third generation Muslim Pakistanis were born in Britain and have lived here all their lives so they may too posses the “cultural arrogance of the British society.”

Verity Saifullah Khan (1974): “The Pakistanis: Mirpur villagers at home and in Bradford.

     In her study Khan states as social change and closer ties to the west are increasing, it is difficult but important to distinguish modernisation from Westernisation. She argues that many Pakistanis appear to be adopting western fashions and lifestyles. This is due to the increasing rate of industrial employment, which has lead to social and geographical mobility, higher education opportunities for both girls and boys and the cumulative threat to arranged-marriages. All this has greatly changed the face of the Pakistani community. However she argues they remain distinctively Pakistani in certain crucial respects such as the very traditional view towards the family and roles within the family.

     Khan states that most Pakistani children have limited contact with local English children, coupled with the strong emotional backing of family and kin, this ensures a relatively coherent and unconfused view of the world. Contact beyond this traditional framework begins for most children at the age of around 4 when they start school. It is at this stage that they have real first close contact with English adults and children and aspects of British culture for example English food. This drastic change in environment draws the few children of South Asian origin together. Best friends are most likely to be Pakistani and contact with non-Pakistani children out of school is rare.

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     Khan states that parents are frequently less concerned about their daughters’ educational success and possible employment. Parents want to ensure that their daughters` reputation is not blemished by unacceptable western behaviour and attitudes, which would jeopardise a good arranged marriage. Pakistani parents see western society as a corrupting influence.

     Khan writes, that, nonetheless it would be naïve to suggest Pakistani children, remain completely unaffected by the western way of life. However orthodox the children are at home, they are still influenced by other ideas at school by white friends, classmates and teachers. They are taught ...

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