Arranged Marriage in South Asia
Arranged marriages have been around for several centuries. To this day, the controversy of whether arranged marriage should be accepted is still ongoing. Arranged marriage is the practice of a marital union between a bride and a groom that are chosen by the parents as well as other relatives. In South Asia, it has always been the norm and tradition for parents to choose their children’s life partner (Ghimire & Axinn, 2014). In addition, a study conducted at a university in India has concluded that 82% of women preferred that her parents choose her husband, rather than her finding one out of love (Moore, 1994). In this essay, the acceptance of arranged marriages in South Asia will be argued through the ethical laws of utilitarianism and virtue ethics. By accepting arranged marriage, this decision would provide pleasure to not only the bride and groom, but also to their families and community as well (BBC, 2020). This practice can also be justified by accepting that it is a cultural and historical tradition and should not be judged outside of its society.
The basis of utilitarianism in making ethical decisions is to maximize pleasure and avoid pain. In the context of South Asia, arranged marriages are supported by a majority of the population, implying that the endorsement of such marriages is in line with the principle of utility (Mines & Lamb, 2010). In most of the families where couples are forced to accept marriages that are arranged by other family members, a majority of both the members of the nuclear and extended family are usually in support of the marriage (BBC, 2020). Also, in most cases, one of the couples who are involved in the arranged marriage are usually in support of the marriage. This implies that in some cases, there is only one person or two who do not favor the arranged relationship (Mines & Lamb, 2010). Therefore, the Bentham theory of utilitarianism is satisfied when couples are made to form a family through an arranged relationship. The pleasure of most off the people impacted by the decision to plan an arranged marriage is increased meaning that the act is ethically valid.
The theory of virtual ethics emphasizes that all individuals have the role of developing an honorable character of morality that is gained through practice. The form of practice of morals is evident in the fact that families in South Asia commit themselves when the child is very young so that when the child matures, he or she will be required to enter into the arranged marriage. Since the families have already initiated the marriage and continue communicating the promise as well as fulfilling the required procedures of dowry, the families do not see the reason to abandon the plan when the plan has already matured. The acceptance of the forced marriage is accepted by the entire family through practice. The practices that the families involve themselves in as the child grows, and the communications that are constantly given to the children as they approach marriage age instills some morals that making it logical to them to decide that forced marriage is okay (BBC, 2020). Besides, communities in South Asia find it ethical to organize marriages for their sons as they grow so that they can protect them from entering into irresponsible sexual habits as they mature. They do so to ensure that the young people do not enter into temptations of committing premarital sex.
The promises that are made by the parents of the victims are hard to break because the families to which they promise to marry off their daughters will only respect them if they keep their promise. The child is told that if he or she does not agree to the arrangement of the family, they are warned that they will bring dishonor to the entire family and let them down because they will be labeled as a disgraceful family (Mines & Lamb, 2010). Some children, therefore, apply the theory of utilitarianism to agree to the arranged marriage because failure to do so will lead to the unhappiness of the entire family, which would be against the principle of utility.
The dilemma of arranged marriage is complicated by the fact that some of the children involved in arranged marriage are not made aware of the plan until it is very late. Some of them initiate other relationships without being aware of that they have an arranged marriage. The families of some young people in South Asia trick their sons or daughters into visiting their homes in their country of origin or rural areas before they disclose to them about the plans they have always had for them concerning their marriage lives (Mines & Lamb, 2010). The young people are then pressured into leaving the plans they have already started by themselves by applying the virtue ethics theory. Some of the factors that may lead the youth into accepting the arranged marriage and seeing it as virtuous include protecting the religious ideals of their community, pressure from peer groups, protecting perceived cultural believes, and strengthening family links (BBC, 2020). The young couples fear being isolated and see it reasonable to accept the marriages because they may also lose the rights of inheriting family wealth if they are seen as shaming the community.
In summary, there are various ways in which the theories of utilitarianism and virtue ethics can be used to explain the decisions in South Asian communities to engage in arranged marriages. The principle of utility requires that we should always act in such a way that the pleasure an happiness of most people is cultivated. Since most members of the families and communities in South Asia are in favor of arranged marriages, the theory of utilitarianism is fulfilled when the couple agrees to give in to the arranged marriage. The happiness for all people involved is brought by the fact that the families feel honored when they keep the promise they made with the other family (Moore, 1994). The theory of virtue ethics is also satisfied when individuals engaging in arranged marriage accept the plan. This is shown when the individuals reason that they have practised procedures that should lead to the marriage. They also see it ethical to engage in the plan because they can prevent the youth from engaging in immoral sexual behaviors.
References
BBC (2020). Forced Marriages: Why do they happen? BBC. Retrieved from; http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/forcedmarriage/motives_1.shtml
Ghimire, D. & Axinn, D. (2014). Marital Processes, Arranged Marriage, and Contraception to Limit Fertility. Retrieved from; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3786027/
Mines, D. P., & Lamb, S. E. (Eds.). (2010). Everyday Life in South Asia. Indiana University Press.
Moore, M. (1994). CHANGING INDIA, WEDDED TO TRADITION. Retrieved 24 July 2020, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1994/10/08/changing-india-wedded-to-tradition/5b8d78ee-ac90-453a-8af2-a9d988849ffc/