Matrimonials: A variation of arranged marriages

Abstract

In a world that is constantly embracing change, with individuals sometimes less willing to abandon tradition altogether, there is room for compromise--an attempt to make best of both worlds. Spouse selection, interestingly, appears to be a case in point. The topic of this research report is 'matrimonial advertisements' that are seeking responses from individuals with the prospect of gaining partners for married life. To this extent, these matrimonials constitute a variation on the theme of arranged marriages. Serena Nanda's statement that 'in India all marriages are arranged' is, perhaps, an exaggeration. However, Nanda's observation, 'even among the educated middle classes in modern, urban India, marriage is as much a concern of the family as it is of the individuals' (1992: 34), is very much a fact of life--substantiated by the matrimonials published both in India and the United States. The matrimonials published in the United States a decade ago and analyzed by Rajagopal Ryali (1989) not only conveyed a microcosmic view of the sociocultural world in which these immigrants lived and flourished but also indicated changes which these individuals have experienced. This same pattern applies to those who advertise in India, and in India, of course, matrimonials were an innovation to begin with. Newspapers in particular seem to have gained recognition as a medium for contacting large numbers of potential respondents. At the same time, there has been a decline in reliance on personal knowledge of likely mates and a lessening of direct contact with prospective candidates. If information about a large number of persons is available, as can be gleaned through the print medium, the probability for acquiring the most suitable partner is theoretically enhanced. Matrimoniais, therefore, are apparently here to stay. As one person recently stated after ten years of a successful arranged marriage, 'It started from zero...you don't have any expectations so you don't have any disappointment. You can only go up, not down' (Nomani 1988:19). An arranged marriage is presumed to have an implied social sanction.