Which Marriage is Best: Arrange or Love?
Which Type of Marriage is Best: Arranged or Love?
Every individual ponders this question before eventually getting married. Some find their soulmates in an arranged setup, while others fall in love and marry them.
Several studies suggest that arranged marriages have a higher initial success rate, whereas love marriages have a higher long-term satisfaction rate.
In the Indian context, arranged marriages are often considered superior and more powerful than love marriages, yet love marriages have their own charm.
In this article, let’s continue this eternal debate and try to find out which is better: love or arranged marriage, and the benefits and challenges each entails.
Exploring Arranged Marriage
In Indian tradition, arranged marriages have a long history. The marriage is described as a partnership between two souls as well as two families.
Arranged marriages often involve the families of both partners. They also play a significant role in the matchmaking process, along with the preferences and decisions of the couple.
Studies suggest that the majority of people, about 80-85%, opt for arranged marriages due to parents, matchmakers, and trusted matrimonial sites like Saptapadi Matrimonial.
Here are some insights into the benefits and challenges of an arranged setup:
Benefits of Arranged Marriage
Family Involvement: When it’s an arranged marriage, the couple receives the support and guidance of family members.
Compatibility:
Both families often take into account factors such as social status, education, and values, which ensures there is compatibility between partners.
Long-term Commitment:
As marriage is frequently viewed as a connection not just between two individuals but also between families, there is a sense of devotion to the marriage and family.
Challenges of Arranged Marriage
Limited choice:
Situations may arise where a bride and groom may have a little influence over whom they choose to spend the rest of their lives with. In such instances, the couple may experience feelings of resentment.
Pressure to conform:
The arranged setup often demands some sacrifices and adjustments. The pressure to conform to family expectations at the cost of their own desires can create conflict between the couple.
Understanding each other:
The two individuals get very limited time to meet and understand each other before their wedding day. That’s why they may take more time to build an emotional connection and know each other’s likes and dislikes. However, this also adds excitement as daily you may find something interesting about your partner.
Exploring Love Marriage
In love marriages, individuals choose their own life partners based on mutual affection and attraction. The following are some perspectives on the benefits and challenges of love marriages:
Benefits of Love Marriage
Personal Choice:
In this setup, the two individuals exercise their freedom to select their life partner according to their personal preferences, compatibility and shared interests.
Emotional Connection:
Couples in love marriages often build a strong emotional chord and develop a deeper understanding of each other’s personalities, contributing to a more fulfilling relationship.
Independence:
In a love marriage, perhaps the greatest advantage is autonomy that partners enjoy in making important decisions. They are less likely to encounter external pressures from family members or from each other.
Challenges of Love Marriage
Social Acceptance:
As you may have observed in the Indian context, when individuals decide to choose their partners themselves; they often face resistance or judgement from family members or society. Couples must put in extra effort to convince their families for a consensus when the partner belongs to a different caste or religion. This often leads to conflict among the families involved. While there are families that support love marriages, they are few in numbers.
Managing Expectations:
In love marriages, couples may have to deal with differences in expectations, values, and beliefs. If these differences are not adequately addressed, disputes can arise. However, you will see many couples living a healthy married life despite the challenges of a love marriage.
Financial Independence:
Because they might not have the same amount of parental support as in arranged weddings, love marriages often demand financial independence.
Divorce Ratio: Love vs. Arranged Marriage
In love marriages, people have more freedom to walk away if things don’t work out. Therefore, compared to arranged marriages, love marriages are more likely to have higher divorce rates, especially in Indian culture where they are already seen in a poor light.
Another reason behind low divorce rates in arranged marriages is the emphasis on compromise, adjustments or societal commitment to long-term stability, as two families are thoroughly involved in every aspect of the wedding.
Even though arranged marriages might start with fewer divorces, that difference gets smaller as time goes by. But it doesn’t mean love marriages are all doomed!
Open communication, shared values, respect for each other’s boundaries and traditions, and mutual willingness to put in effort during tough times are key factors to a healthy married life – arranged or love.
What Makes Arranged Marriage Better than Love Marriage?
Arranged marriages provide a shortcut past dating worries and come with built-in family backup for conflicts. You get a team of family mediators to handle disputes, though it’s a risk of compatibility, not passion.
Skipping the “getting to know your person” phase is like a surprise trip — could be paradise, could be sharing a bed with a stranger. The upside? Lower expectations mean less disappointment. When the honeymoon phase fades, the transition is quick.
Love marriages, on the other hand, offer freedom, compatibility, and flexibility. You pick your partner based on shared life ideas and break societal norms. You know each other’s quirks and set your own pace.
And in every decision-making, good or bad, you are your own, in most cases.
Conclusion
So, Arranged Marriage or Love Marriage?
Well, there is no universal formula to decide which one is better and will be suitable for you. It depends on many factors, beginning from individual choice and family to factors like caste, culture etc.
However, one fact is for sure: both love marriage and arranged marriage can be happy and successful if the couple is ready to put in mutual efforts and resolve issues maturely.
So, if you can find your partner on your own, it’s better. If not, arranged marriage is an even better option.
Thanks to matrimonial sites today, finding partners in an arranged setup has become much smoother. For individuals looking for arranged marriages, you can find your ideal partner at Saptapadi Matrimonial.
