I have friends who are Afghan who have had arranged marriages so this led me to be curious to ask, why does this practice still persist into the 21st century?

  • gedaliyah@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    33
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    7 months ago

    Others have already talked about the potential benefits of matchmaking, but not a lot of people have talked about marriage as a joining of families. There are lots of cultures where it’s normative to live together with parents and grandparents (which if you think about it also means aunts and uncles, cousins, etc.). There are lots of benefits to people who live this way - greater financial stability, access to childcare, healthcare, increased lifespan, lower depression - and so it makes sense. If you are bringing someone new into the household, it may be important for the heads of the household to weigh on or even choose the person or the family.

    • richieadler@lemmy.myserv.one
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      14
      arrow-down
      3
      ·
      7 months ago

      I understand in theory the benefits. But I practice for me It would be a nightmare. Being unable to get away from toxic family members would be horrible. And being the outsider… I’m dating you, not your family. I find the idea of “entering a new family” worrisome and distasteful.

      • AnalogyAddict@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        7
        arrow-down
        2
        ·
        7 months ago

        I don’t know. There’s an even chance my parents would have been better at picking my husband than I was.

        • beefbot@lemmy.blahaj.zone
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          4
          arrow-down
          2
          ·
          7 months ago

          Eh. There’s a BIG difference between you making a questionable decision on your own and someone else forcing you into their questionable decision