Growing up in a western modern society and being raised by almost traditional Hindu parents who were born and raised in Sri Lanka, integration of both culture and society together has been a constant uphill struggle for most part of my life. All my life my parents will tell me what to do, it has to be this, or, well there is no ‘’or’’ or ‘’but’’, I must listen. However, one thing I have decided they won’t have a role in is my marriage, but am I right to do this? Am I right to not let them have a say? Are they controlling who I marry because they love me and want to have a good life, or to boost their self-esteem and tell their friends that their daughter married a wealthy man? Which leads to the question, ‘’Are love marriages better than arranged marriages?’’
Marriage is an institution which has been part of human development ever since the start of time. Since ancient civilization there has always been a mutual union between people that bonded them together1. For many years the blueprint of marriage allowed a man to wed his female match; however, in modern times weddings have come in all sorts of combinations and new forms are being accepted as a consequence of political and cultural changes. Many of these unique marriage types can be categorized into one of two types: love marriages or arranged marriages. The key factor that differentiates the two marriage types are the level of freedom permitted to the pair being married. Of course, it would be very naive to simplify marriage based on one factor plainly because marriage is a life changing union and many factors clash, support and define the union such as; cultural backgrounds, family support and emotional well-being. This report will scrupulously examine the flaws and benefits between the two major approaches to marriage.
Before speculating about the different types of marriages we need to first define the basics: what is marriage? Marriage for the most part is often in direct relationship with religion and the connection between two people. According to Christianity International2, the traditional understanding of a marriage is the union of one man and one woman- branded by sexual exclusivity and ordered towards the bearing and rearing of children3. Marriage also holds a public purpose. According to Jordan Lorence4, a number of cultures and faiths have recognized one-man and one-woman marriage as the best way to promote healthy families and societies. However as time and generation has changed marriage is a public symbol of unity and love rather than just religious fulfilment. Reasons for marriage has changed due to us living in a more secular society, therefore marriage is seen as a public display of love rather than a religious ceremony. Whatever the reason for a couple to unite; Marriage should guarantee a continued existence of a healthy society which is why we see religious intervention when the traditional concept of marriage is challenged.
The traditional understanding of marriage is between one man and one woman however in today’s society it is continuously being challenged. There will always be two supreme forms of marriage; one being arranged marriage; and the other being love marriage. Today we see the rise of same sex marriage and open marriage. What all these emerging marriage types have in common is that they can be classified as either love marriage or arranged marriage. For example, a homosexuality partnership can be categorized as a form of love marriage. By definition two individuals have come together because they are both attracted to one another’s outgoing personality. Many times homosexuality unions do not have the approval from parents or family members.
Online dating sites do essentially what parents do and therefore it can be classified as a form of arranged marriage. There is a set of rules, a formula with many variables that calculates a possible match. When you sign up with an online dating source to find a match you are