The Proposition:

Arranged Marriages Are

Superior To Love
Marriages

Affirmative:
*You don’t have to date: You don't have to worry with making up your mind, finding the "right" one, or
other such indecision and pain that comes with dating. Your parents or go-betweens carefully consider
such things as age, education, and family background, and the character of the two people.
*Stability: Arranged marriages tend to be more stable, and less emotional. There are less arguments in
arranges marriages.
*Parental Approval: You never have to worry about your parents disapproving, or your partner’s
parents disproving.
*Responsibility: Marriage should be joyful, but also full of responsibilities. Love marriages are too
emotional, whereas people in arranged marriages are more logical and responsible.
* Less chance of divorce: In Japan, sixty years ago, about 80 percent of newly married couples had
arranged marriages, while only 13 percent married for love. Today, however, the situation had
completely reversed. However, at the same time, in the last 60 years, divorce in Japan has grown from
83,689 in 1950 to 243,000 in 1998. This means that there are more divorces in love marriages.

Negative:
* There is no romantic love: In an arranged marriage, a person may not love the person they marry.
Society should encourage people to marry because they are deeply in love with each other. Love is a
complex, emotional bond that connects individuals. In a relationship based on true love, each individual
is more sensitive and caring about the other’s emotions.
*Lack of choice: You have no choice over who you marry. This decision is made by your parents, and
you are dependent on their judgment.
*Risk: There is the element of risk in having a partner chosen for you by your parents. The person may
not be right for your personality, and you may have nothing in common.
*You can’t date: You can't take time before the wedding to look for a partner (since your parents take
care of that). Dating is a valuable process which enables people to gradually decide the best partner for
them.
* You don’t know each other: You can’t get to know each other’s strengths and weaknesses before
marriage. Getting to know each other before getting married is the key to a happy marriage. . In an
arranged marriage couples may only meet a few times before deciding to get married, and their
knowledge of each other may be very limited.