Marriage in India

Arranged marriages have been the tradition in Indian society for centuries. Even today an overwhelming majority of Indians in India have their marriages planned by their parents and other respected family-members, without the consent of the bride and groom [1]. Arranged matches were made after taking into account factors such as age, height, personal values and tastes, the backgrounds of their families (wealth, social standing) and their castes and the astrological compatibility of the couples' horoscopes.

The institution of marriage in India is considered a very important one. In general both the parents and the young people feel that since they were older and wiser than their progeny, they would be able to find a suitable match for their children with more prudence than the latter. Although most marriages are arranged, some couples in India are opting for love marriage in urban areas. Among the overseas Indians, many marriages are still arranged with the assistance of the parents[2]. Even the so called love marriages in India generally happen with the approval of the parents, although their blessing may sometimes be reluctant.

In India, the marriage is thought to be for life[3], and the divorce rate is extremely low, 1.1 compared with over 20% for USA. Still, many women and men are beat or emotionally hurt, but stay together for social standings[4]. The arranged marriages generally have a much lower divorce rate[citation needed]. The divorce rates have risen significantly in recent years:

"Opinion is divided over what the phenomenon means: for traditionalists the rising numbers portend the breakdown of society while, for some modernists, they speak of a healthy new empowerment for women."[5]