Arranged marriage
Arranged marriage was the norm throughout the world until the 18th century. Parents, grandparents, and trusted friends typically selected spouses for their children during this era. Some historical exceptions existed, such as courtship rites in Renaissance Italy or Gandharva Vivah in ancient India. In Europe, arranged marriages remained normal until the Second World War. France saw a significant shift away from these practices after that conflict ended. Imperial Russia and Japan politically outlawed forced marriages, which contributed to the decline of the tradition there. Prosperous countries with high social mobility increasingly favored individual choice over family arrangement. Today, the practice persists in South Asia, West Asia, North Africa, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa. It remains common among royal families and aristocrats in Europe and North America. Minority religious groups like fundamentalist Mormon communities still utilize placement marriages within the United States.
In China, blind marriages were the norm before the mid-20th century. The bride and groom often met for the first time on their wedding day without any right to refuse. Taiwan practiced Shim-pua marriage before the 1970s, where a poor family married a pre-adolescent daughter into a richer family as a servant. This custom provided free labor to the wealthy household while offering the girl escape from poverty. First cousin marriages account for between 25 and 40% of all unions in parts of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. Overall consanguineous arranged marriages exceed 65% to 80% in various regions of North Africa and Central Asia. In rural Pakistan, disputes or unpaid debts are sometimes settled by marrying virgin girls aged 5 to 12 to another family through the jirga council system. About 30% of all marriages in western rural regions of Pakistan occur via watta satta customs, swapping brother-sister pairs between two families. Japan re-emerged with miai-kekkon arrangements to assist late marriages past age 35. These traditional practices involve prospective couples meeting three times before deciding to engage.
Poverty drives many parents to arrange marriages for their daughters because every adult mouth to feed becomes a continuing burden. Women often face difficulty finding gainful employment or are prohibited from working entirely. The dowry system in India involves gifts of money or property given to the groom by the bride's family after marriage. Families unable to afford dowries may see their daughters remain unmarried or face severe consequences like suicide. A law passed in 1961 called the Dowry Prohibition Act made it illegal to demand dowries in India. However, loopholes allowed families to give large sums as wedding presents instead. Bride-wealth functions differently across parts of Africa and the Middle East. Grooms pay cash or property to marry a daughter, providing income to her poor family. The highest bidder usually acquires the woman in these transactions. Wealthy royals arranged marriages historically to conserve or streamline inheritance of property from one generation to the next. Tongyauxi in Taiwan enabled wealthy families lacking an heir to adopt a boy child from another family who would take on their surname.
Islam forbids marriage of girls of a devout parent to a man who does not belong to that religion. Religious punishment for those who marry outside might be severe. Hindus favor religious segregation and often require partners to convert if they fall in love with someone from a different faith. The lowest caste known as untouchables are seen as unclean and forbidden from walking past someone from a higher caste. The Hindu Marriage Act of 1955 prohibits non-consensual marriages where the bridegroom is below age 21 or the bride is below age 18. Uncle-niece marriages are considered incestuous and illegal in the United Kingdom. Cousin marriages remain legal there despite calls to ban them due to health concerns. Consanguineous arranged marriages were common in Jewish communities before the 20th century but have declined to less than 10% in modern times. Various international organizations including UNICEF campaign for laws to ban arranged marriages of children globally.
A forced marriage involves coercion where one or both parties are compelled to marry against their will through threats or physical violence. This practice disregards individual autonomy and genuine consent, leading to profound emotional distress. Arranged marriage requires familial intervention to suggest a spouse based on cultural factors while retaining final agency with the prospective spouses. Jennifer Burns, Director of Anti-Slavery Australia, clarifies that arranged marriages allow couples to decide whether they want to marry. Forced marriages lack complete and free consent entirely. In rural parts of the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia, women who refuse an arrangement may face honor killings by male relatives. These acts are often done publicly with family members involved to enforce the institution. The United States government sees forced marriage as a human rights abuse and prosecutes those who force someone to marry. People who force someone to marry may be charged with violating state laws including domestic violence, child abuse, rape, assault, kidnapping, or stalking.
Divorce rates have climbed in the European Union and the United States alongside increases in autonomous marriage rates. The lowest divorce rates in the world appear in cultures with high rates of arranged marriages such as Amish communities at 1%. Hindus in India show a rate of 3% while Ultra-Orthodox Jews in Israel report 7%. A 2012 study found 53.25% of marriages worldwide were arranged with a global divorce rate of 6.3%. Some scholars suggest low divorce rates reflect difficulty of the divorce process rather than actual stability. Individuals may experience social ostracism upon divorce leading them to choose living in dysfunctional marriages instead. One study reported a 4% divorce rate for arranged marriages compared to 40% for autonomous marriages in the U.S. Men in Japan reported higher sexual satisfaction within arranged marriages while partners in autonomous unions experienced roughly the same amount of satisfaction. Results from small sample surveys remain mixed regarding whether love emerges over time in arranged versus autonomous marital life.
Common questions
When did arranged marriage become the norm throughout the world?
Arranged marriage was the norm throughout the world until the 18th century. Parents, grandparents, and trusted friends typically selected spouses for their children during this era.
Where does arranged marriage persist today according to global regions?
Today, the practice persists in South Asia, West Asia, North Africa, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa. It remains common among royal families and aristocrats in Europe and North America.
What is the difference between forced marriage and arranged marriage regarding consent?
A forced marriage involves coercion where one or both parties are compelled to marry against their will through threats or physical violence. Arranged marriage requires familial intervention to suggest a spouse based on cultural factors while retaining final agency with the prospective spouses.
How many percent of marriages worldwide were arranged in 2012?
A 2012 study found 53.25% of marriages worldwide were arranged with a global divorce rate of 6.3%. Some scholars suggest low divorce rates reflect difficulty of the divorce process rather than actual stability.
When did France see a significant shift away from arranged marriages after World War II?
France saw a significant shift away from these practices after that conflict ended. Imperial Russia and Japan politically outlawed forced marriages, which contributed to the decline of the tradition there.