Arranged Marriage on the Rise in America

The Custom of Having Others Find You a Partner Grows in the USA

Sep 21, 2009

Matchmaking instead of dating: Arranged marriages are currently on the rise in the USA, largely due to immigrant communities.

Arranged marriage as a way of finding one’s partner for life is usually associated with traditional Hindu, Muslim or Buddhist culture. Especially in India, Indonesia and some African and Middle Eastern countries, it is common for parents and family to be involved in a single’s search for the perfect match, often using the services of a professional matchmaker, online dating or matrimonial websites to find a suitable spouse.

The Rise of Arranged Marriage in the USA

Assisted Marriage is certainly not something one would expect in the United States with its permissive dating culture, strong emphasis on personal freedom and individuality. However, prearranged partnerships are on the rise in the US due to its immigrant communities.

Arranged Marriage Among Indian Americans

One factor in the rise of prearranged marriages in the US is the growing (Asian) Indian American community, which presently accounts for roughly 0.6 percent of the American population, according to the 2000 U.S. census. Although assisted marriage may not be the only option for American Hindus – due to cultural influences in the US – it is still more or less the norm for various reasons.

Why People Choose a Prearranged Marriage

For one, family is still regarded as highly important by Indian Americans and parents generally have a much stronger influence on their kids than white American parents would. There is also a desire to preserve one’s own culture and religion and resist assimilation and secularization, as mentioned in an article by Williams and De Paul called “The Rise of Arranged Marriage in America”.

More Reasons for Having an Arranged Marriage

Arranged marriages are seen as more stable than love marriages, since almost half of the latter end in divorce in America, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention faststats on marriage and divorce. Finally, many of the more conservative immigrants have strong reservations about the American dating scene, often regarding it as promiscuous or even immoral.

Marriage among Muslim Americans

Many Muslim Americans are also practicing some form of assisted marriage, for reasons very similar to those mentioned above: reservations about the American dating culture, a desire to preserve one’s faith and raise one’s own children in the same religion. Most other reasons mentioned before do also apply.

Biblical Betrothal – A Christian Form of Arranged Marriage

Recently, a rare form of assisted marriage among American Christians has developed. It is called Biblical Betrothal and favors a conservative approach, where two young people get to know one another in the company of a chaperone and with the sole objective of finding a marriage partner. Dating and even courtship are being discouraged.

On his website about Biblical Betrothal, Christian author Israel Wayne describes it as different from arranged marriage, since in Betrothal, it’s the young people themselves who ultimately make the decision – a statement which confuses arranged marriage with forced marriage. In the former, young people usually have a right to veto their parents’ suggestions and sometimes even take part in the search, using for example online dating and matrimonial websites. If one is forced into marriage, it is not arranged marriage but rather forced marriage.

Marriage Habits of Orthodox Jews and Arranged Marriage

As mentioned by Williams and De Paul in their already cited article, there is also a trend towards arranged marriage among the Orthodox Jewish community in the US. This is encouraged by Jewish leaders concerned about the survival of their faith in the face of dwindling marriage rates among American Jews.

Marriage in the Hare Krishna Movement

People in the Hare Krishna Movement who come from different races and ethnic groups also practice arranged marriage for religious and cultural reasons. The special characteristic here is that a marriage is often arranged by one’s guru. Following the Indian Vaishnava belief, Hare Krishnas usually have a Vedic wedding ceremony.

Arranged Marriage on the Rise

Although stemming from a very different cultural environment, arranged marriage is clearly on the rise in the USA. This is mainly due to growing immigrant communities such as (Asian) Indian American and Muslim communities, but is also practiced among Orthodox Jews, Hare Krishnas and even some Evangelical Christians.

The copyright of the article Arranged Marriage on the Rise in America in Marriage is owned by Martin Bohn. Permission to republish Arranged Marriage on the Rise in America in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.