Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2013 Apr 1;75(2):453-469.
doi: 10.1111/jomf.12003. Epub 2013 Mar 14.

Schemas of Marital Change: From Arranged Marriages to Eloping for Love

Keera Allendorf  1
Affiliations

Schemas of Marital Change: From Arranged Marriages to Eloping for Love

Keera Allendorf. J Marriage Fam. .

Abstract

In recent decades, arranged marriages have become less common in many parts of Asia. This paper explores people's schemas surrounding just such a marital change in one Indian village using semi-structured interviews (N=30) and ethnographic fieldwork. Respondents categorize marriages into two main types: arranged marriages and elopements, also called love marriages. Arranged marriages were common in the past, while elopements are now dominant. Both types of marriages have characteristics that are perceived positively and the ideal marriage is a hybrid of the two. Respondents ascribe the rise of love marriages to educational expansion, technological change, and foreign influence. Many also see it as an inevitable part of a larger process of socio-economic change. These schemas are strongly shaped by global influences, but also reflect multiple layers of local beliefs and cultures.

Keywords: Family change; India; marriage; schemas.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Respondents’ perceptions of why marriage behaviors have changed
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Adams BN. Themes and Threads of Family Theories: A Brief History. Journal of Comparative Family Studies. 2010;41:499–505.
    1. Ahearn LA. Invitations to Love: Literacy, Love Letters and Social Change in Nepal. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press; 2001.
    1. Allen C. The Buddha and the Sahibs: The Men Who Discovered India’s Lost Religion. London: John Murray Publishers; 2002.
    1. Applbaum KD. Marriage with the proper stranger - arranged marriage in metropolitan Japan. Ethnology. 1995;34:37–51.
    1. Banerji M, Martin S, Desai S. Is education association with a transition towards autonomy in partner choice? A case study of India. India Human Development Survey Working Paper No. 8. 2008

LinkOut - more resources