There are steps before people ultimately get married. We first cross paths and introduce ourselves to one another. We grow and get to know the other person and go on dates. Eventually the “I love you(s)” escape from each other’s mouths, and before you know it you’ve fallen hard. Someone who was once a stranger is now someone you can’t live without. So one day he pops the question. Are you willing to spend your life with him? Of course you are, you choose to say yes, because you know him, you trust him, and you have grown to love him. Now let’s imagine none of that happened. Let’s imagine that at a certain age, your parents told you they found you a man to marry. And that you will marry him no matter if you like him or not, find him attractive or not. They say that eventually you will learn to love him and fall in love with him. This person who is a stranger will become someone you can’t live without.
An arranged marriage is a union where the bride and groom are selected by a third party rather than by each other. These particular marriages are more common in places like India, Pakistan, Japan, China, and Israel. India has the highest percentage for arranged marriages with 90 percent. There are different ages for when arranged marriages were initiated. The most common age for girls to be arranged is 18-years-old, and 15-years-old is the second most common. 54 percent of arranged marriages occur around the world and surprisingly the divorce rate is 4.2 percent. It’s so weird that a situation where marriage comes first and then love lasts longer than when love comes first and marriage later. The divorce rate is possibly this low because the cultures that practice arranged marriages don’t believe in divorce.
It’s hard for those in the western culture to wrap their heads around the idea of an arranged marriage. Basically giving up any opportunity you have of choosing the person you would like to be with. However, there are some advantages. Since the family chooses the spouse, the spouse usually has the same type of morals and beliefs. This is important when building a relationship whether it’s organic or not. Economic and educational stature also plays a factor when a family chooses someone. Therefore they are more likely to have more similarities than differences. Although society says opposites attract, it is actually couples that are more similar that last.
An arranged marriage is NOT a forced marriage, they are different. Arranged marriages seem forced for women in the United States. Who wants to marry someone that they hardly know? Yes, the thought of gambling your heart in relationships is scary but in the end it always sounds better than your family picking out someone. In other countries arranged marriages is normality.