Independence and Family Support as the Cost and Reward Influences the Women’s Marriage Decision:A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Marriage is an important event in an individual’s life. The decision of choosing the right partner is partially based on the human survival instinct that psychologically orients with cost vs reward assessment strategy. Hence, to identify the factors that influence a woman when she selects the right alliance for marriage, a survey-based statistical analysis study was performed by n = 107 women who participated. In this study, it is observed that the current family type influences the women’s preference for partners’ family type post marriage. Age also plays an important role when women make considerations for post-marriage family type. Moreover, women evaluate and consider situations such as independence, family support as the cost/reward categories to make choices when it comes to family type post marriage. In addition to this, women highly prefer tier 1 over the tier 2 cities as well as the future husband having a job or business but the least preference is given to an individual with the farming occupation. Therefore a noticeable shift in the trend of cost vs. reward assessment in matrimonial selection is seen. Moreover, the inclination towards nuclear family type is increasing compared to a joint family which may have on the Indian socio-economic scenario.