What do I think are the advantages and disadvantages of arranged marriages?
What do I think are the advantages and disadvantages of arranged marriages?
Marriage is the union of one man and one woman. It is the basis of forming a family. Most of us believe that the sole reason for a marriage is love of a man and a woman. However, not all marriages are love marriages, and a marriage may not be even decided by the couple marrying. And this is arranged marriage.
An arranged marriage is a marriage in which the marital partners are chosen by others based on considerations other than the pre-existing mutual attraction of the partners. Parents, relatives and elders could choose the marriage and the marital couple do not have not the right to decide for themselves. This type of marriage is fairly rare among the people I know, but it has its disadvantages and even two advantages.
First, parents and relatives would match two people with the similar family backgrounds, financial abilities, education, culture, language and upbringing, eliminating disparities in tangible factors. Some of this information could be awkward to ask if the marital couple were in love. However in arranged marriages, parents would make sure that every piece of information about the partner would be dug up and examined. For example in traditional Chinese marriages, a professional matchmaker would be employed. Like a private investigator, she would find out about the birth date, horoscope, education and gossips about the partner. Even the ancestry and extended families will be read up on so as to make sure the family is respectable. This ensures that there will be no skeleton hidden in the closet, which may jeopardize the marriage later if left undiscovered.