Chapter II

Related Studies and literature

Related Studies and related literature
Arranged marriage where spouses do not choose each other is an
unfamiliar and unpalatable idea to most people in the Western world. But those
who practice the tradition believe that arranged marriages improve family ties
and ensure a good match for their children. In fact, arranged marriages have a
lot of benefits but there can be many downsides as well (Dr. Robert Epstem).
There are any negative eff ects of an arrange marriage. The fi rst
one is removes courtship period. Meaning the rules of courtship vary
depending on the culture. It is a narrows the choices. Because the family is
heavily involved in the arranged marriage, it can be very difficult for the
prospective bride or groom to get a word in edgewise. They also eliminate other
options. In this case, an arranged marriage can remove other life options for
the woman in the marriage. It doesn't mean she can't go to college eventually,
but it might be much more difficult for her to do so.One effect also is its
focuses on the superficial. In some cultures, the most important things to
consider are the appearance and mans occupation.Divorce is rare in arranged
marriages, because they start out as a practical arrangement and if the couple
doesn't get along, it just means that they should work harder on the marriage
-- love and emotion don't really come into play. But this can make it very

difficult to leave the marriage if there is abuse -- the family might not want to
admit they made a mistake in choosing the spouse -- or if one spouse simply
doesn't want to be married any longer (April Sanders).
There are any reason why parents choose to send their child into early
marriage. The classical Muslim (Hanafi and Shia) law on the point may be
found in the following passage from the Hedaya: A woman who is an adult, and
of sound mind, may be married by virtue of her own consent, although the
contract may not have been made or acceded to by her guardian. It is not
lawful for a guardian to force into marriage an adult virgin against her
consent.If the girl is an adult by Muslim law

i.e., if the girl has attained

puberty her consent is essential to the validity of any marriage contracted on

her behalf; she cannot be contracted into marriage against her will and without
her consent. Further, she may validly marry without the consent of her father
or guardian.According to Mahomedan law, it is absolutely necessary that the
man or someone on his behalf and the woman or someone on her behalf
should agree to the marriage at one meeting, and the agreement should be
witnessed by two adult witnesses. As women are in purdah in this part of the
country[,] it is customary to send a relation of the woman to her inside the
house accompanied by two witnesses. The relation asks the girl within the
hearing of the witnesses whether she authorizes him to agree to the marriage
on her behalf for the dower money offered by the husband. He explains to her

the detail[s] of the dower proposed. When the girl says yes or signifies her
consent by some other method, the three persons come out.It is unnecessary
to remark that it is not easy for a girl to stand up to family pressure and reject
a marriage that is being, in effect, forced upon her. But, some young women
have the character and the courage to take such a step and to claim for
themselves rights to which they are entitled in Muslim law.
A study in Jaipur, India a few decades ago found that people in love
marriages were more in love for the first five years, while those in arranged
marriages were more in love for the next 30 years. (Of course, since Indian love
marriages are viewed as immoral, their difficulties may be due at least as much
to social stigma as to poor matches.) People do not expect to love their spouse
at first-love is seen as something that develops (when it does) over time and
through shared experiences.Because the choice of spouse is not up to the
individual, some traditional cultures keep young men and women apart to
prevent sexual temptation from wreaking havoc. In public, a variety of devices
from chaperones to burkhas maintain this separation. In some cases, the bride
and groom may meet for the first time at the wedding. Even after marriage,
gender segregation may continue at home, where-except for the married
couple--women's social life exists behind closed doors and away from men
(Bharat Simha Reddy2015).

In a study done several years ago researchers set up a jam tasting

counter at a grocery store to see how sample size affects consumer behavior.
There were two groups: one that chose between 24 or 30 different jams and the
other that chose from six. Though our intuitions and economic theory
perpetuate the idea that the more options we have the better we will be,
researchers found just the opposite. The group given 24 or 30 options was less
likely to purchase a jam and reported being less satisfied with their choices.
This is called the paradox of choice and it describes the tendency for people to
be less content as they are presented with more options (that is not to say no
options are best, just that more options are worse after a certain point).
Jonathan Haidt summarizes perfectly; The more choices there are, the more you
expect to find a perfect fit; yet, at the same time, the larger the array, the less
likely it becomes that you picked the best item. You leave the store less confident
in your choice, more likely to feel regret, and more likely to think about the options
you didnt choose.The question is: does the paradox of choice hold true for
romantic relationships? That is, are more options harmful if we are seeking a
romantic partner?One way to test this theory is to compare arranged
marriages, where the choices are minimal to none, to non-arranged marriages,
where the choices are infinite (in theory at least). To the surprise of many
westerns, arranged marriages report similar rates of satisfaction, love, and tend
to be more robust.For example, in 1982, psychologists Usha Gupta and Pushpa

Singh of the University of Rajasthan in Jaipur ran a study comparing

marriages of choice in the United States to arranged marriages in India. They
found opposite trends: choice marriages experienced a lot of initial passion and
little compassion thereafter while arranged marriages experienced no initial
passion but increasing compassion as the years went on. Moreover, arranged
marriage couples were nearly twice as compassionate than choice marriage
couples ten years post marriage (Robert Epstein and MansiThakar, 2011).Does
this mean that arranged marriage is the way to go?Not necessarily. A follow
up study done by Jane Myers et al, in 2005 compared 45 individuals living in
arranged marriages in India to individuals in choice marriages in the United
States. They found no support for differences in marital satisfaction or love
aspects of wellness in relation to arranged marriages. In addition, studies by
Schwartz (2007, Orthodox Jews) and Walsh and Taylor (1982, Japanese) found
no differences in love between arranged versus choice marriage. As such, Myers
is correct to conclude that, further research on the relationships between
cultural differences, cultural values, and characteristics of marriages are
needed to explain these relationships and provide a knowledge base for crosscultural couples counseling.What psychologists do know is that people who
are married are happier and healthier. In addition, data shows that the
happiest people usually have strong marriages and that married people tend to

live on average longer seven years for the male and two years for the female.
Researchers have also found that the death of a spouse can be detrimental.
Dubbed the widowhood effect, many studies demonstrate that men who lose
a wife are between 30% and 100% more likely to die within a year; the same is
true for women although there are fewer studies(Iyengar SS, &Lepper MR
(2000)).

Tackling forced marriage via a change in the age of entry also links to
some of the generalthemes in the literature on forced marriage. Scholars have
pointed out that in the UK public debates on forced marriage are mostly
addressed in terms of immigration (Hossain, nd.), and the overseas
dimensions

of

forced

marriage,

leading

to

policies

such

as

increase

insponsorship and entry age (Phillips and Dustin, 2004). It is suggested that
such policiessometimes confuse policy and practice on false marriage, alluding
to

marriages

of

convenience

contracted

for

the

exclusive

purpose

of

immigration and could be consensual, and forced marriage, where marriages

are contracted using coercion, and where the purpose may or may not be
immigration (Phillips and Dustin, 2004: 535). Debates also examine the
specific gendered and racialised nature of immigration law, based on images of
the passive and dependent Asian women, and notions of South Asian families

following patrilocality, that is the norm that women follow their male kin after
marriage. Such ideas disadvantage both women migrating from abroad and
women of South Asian origin who sponsor a spouse from abroad (Hall, 2000).
Some scholars address the ways in which some related immigration laws can
encourage forced marriage such as the dual nationality provision in some cases
(Hall, 2000; An- Naim, nd.). It is suggested that some UK initiatives have a
civilising tone in the way that immigrants are expected to be British, referring
to proposals to introduce English proficiency tests for applicants (Razack,
2004: 154) and that policies on forced marriage have created fears in some
members of the ethnic community that the government is using its campaign
against forced marriage to tighten immigration rules (Skalbergs and Gulicova,
2004).
Forced marriage was seen as an issue in a wide range of communities
outside

the

South

orthodox/fundamental

Asian

Diaspora.

religious

This

communities,

included
Armenian,

Irish

travellers,

Turkish,

some

mainland Chinese, and Eastern European communities (linked to trafficking

and prostitution), some African countries including Eritrea, Somalia and
Sudan. Also, survivors of forced marriage interviewed came from African
Caribbean communities, from Sierra Leone and Mozambique. The focus on
South Asian communities in much public and policy discourse on forced

marriage obscures the existence of forced marriages in a range of other

communities, including the majority white community. Focus groups and
survivor interviews highlighted the different routes into forced marriage. These
included: poverty and bride price primarily in African communities; control
over sexuality in South Asian, Middle Eastern, Chinese and African
communities;

immigration

in

South

Asian,

Middle

Eastern,

Chinese

communities and African communities. A blurring of the boundaries, as well as

distinctions, between arranged and forced marriage were highlighted in relation
to

most

of

these

contexts.

The

study

highlights

the

need

to

shift

conceptualization of forced marriage away from being perceived primarily or

only as constitutive of minorities cultural or religious practices, to an
understanding

which

incorporates

structural

factors

such

as

poverty,

immigration, asylum systems and unequal gender relations (Sandhya Sharma

and Ann Singleton, 2007).
Some risk factors were identified. A variety of circumstances and
behaviors were seen to create particular vulnerabilities and risks, involving
overt coercion by family members, mental ill-health or death of a parent of a
potential spouses, unsuitable sexual behavior, and issues relating to
immigration and asylum status. Lack of appropriate services, no recourse to
public funds, and wider socio-political issues impacting on more traditional
Muslim identities being adopted, were seen to further compound such

vulnerabilities and risk of forced marriage.Decreasing the risk of forced

marriage was largely the reverse of factors that were thought to increase the
risks. In large part, better support to victims as well as preventive work was
thought to be crucial, and should involve a wide range of communities and
agencies. Particular mention was made of education and awareness for
practitioners, young people, and communities as well as academic/ vocational
education

(Sandhya

Sharma

and

Ann

Singleton,

2007).