Evolution of Arranged Marriages in India: From Tradition to Technology

Historical Origins

Arranged marriages have been a part of Indian society for thousands of years. Their origins can be traced back to ancient Indian texts, such as the Vedas and Manusmriti, which mention the practice of arranged marriages. In these texts, the selection of a life partner was considered a crucial family and societal duty.

The caste system played a pivotal role in shaping the arranged marriage system in India. Marriages were not just unions of individuals but also alliances between families, often used to maintain or improve social status. Marrying within one's caste or social group was the norm, as it helped preserve the existing social hierarchy.

The Indian arranged marriage system has a rich history that has evolved significantly over time. This practice, deeply rooted in Indian culture and tradition, has undergone transformations that reflect the changes in societal norms, values, and economic structures. The evolution of the Indian arranged marriage system is a complex interplay of tradition, modernity, and globalization, which has shaped the dynamics of marriage in India.

Historically, arranged marriages in India were predominantly based on social, economic, and caste considerations. Families would play a central role in the process of finding suitable matches for their children, often emphasizing compatibility in terms of caste, social status, and financial stability. The emphasis on familial compatibility over individual preferences was a hallmark of the traditional arranged marriage system in India.

Families consult astrologers to match the horoscopes of prospective brides and grooms to ensure compatibility and a prosperous union. Even today, many families continue to rely on astrology when making marriage decisions.

Modernization and Changing Social Dynamics: Over the years, India has experienced significant social and economic changes. As the country modernized, the arranged marriage system also adapted to accommodate evolving societal norms and individual preferences. Education, urbanization, and increased exposure to different cultures have led to changes in the criteria people consider when choosing a life partner.

Some modern arranged marriages include pre-marital counselling sessions that help couples understand each other's expectations and compatibility before the wedding. This approach aims to reduce the likelihood of misunderstandings and conflicts.

In this article, an attempt is made to present the journey of the Indian arranged marriage system and the future arranged marriage system in view of big data, machine learning and artificial intelligence.

The agrarian era arranged marriage system

The agrarian era in India spans a significant portion of its history, and it is characterized by an economy primarily based on agriculture.

During this period, the institution of arranged marriage was prevalent, and it continues to persist in various forms in contemporary Indian society. Since, civilization developed and evolved around agriculture, the nature of work was same for most of the people and people lived in villages and small towns. . In the agrarian era, people had limited opportunities to interact with potential partners outside their immediate social circle. Most of the marriages happened within limited geographical boundaries

In the agrarian era, marriages were primarily arranged by families, often with the aim of forging alliances between land-owning families, consolidating wealth, or ensuring social status. The decision-making process for marriage typically involves considerations such as caste, religion, social standing, and economic stability. Referrals from relatives and close friends used to be the most preferred way of matchmaking in arranged marriage. Many families believed in matching horoscopes and ensuring compatibility based on astrological signs. This played a crucial role in the decision-making process for arranged marriages.

Thus, the consent of the individuals getting married was not always a primary factor, especially for women, whose voices were often marginalized in the decision-making process.

Furthermore, the agrarian era was marked by patriarchal norms, which meant that the authority and decision-making power were largely vested in male members of the family. Women were expected to conform to societal expectations and were often restricted to domestic roles.

Industrial Era arranged marriage system

During the Industrial era, which began in the late 18th century and continued through the 19th and 20th centuries, significant changes in India's societal structure occurred due to the impact of colonialism, modernization, and industrialization. While the overall concept of arranged marriages continued, certain shifts and modifications took place within the practice.

The emergence of cities and industrial centres led to increased social mobility. As a result, arranged marriages were influenced by factors beyond traditional considerations like caste and community, and economic factors started to play a more critical role.

With the spread of education and the rise of new employment opportunities, individuals had more chances to interact with people from different backgrounds. This influenced the criteria for selecting a spouse, with education and career prospects gaining importance alongside traditional considerations.

The industrial era saw some shifts in gender roles, with women increasingly participating in the workforce. This led to changes in the expectations for brides, with an emphasis on education, skills, and adaptability to the changing social environment.

Legal changes during the colonial era, such as the Hindu Marriage Act of 1955, introduced some provisions for consent in marriage, giving individuals more legal rights and protections in the context of arranged marriages.

Despite these changes, arranged marriages still remained referral-based, and many families believed in matching horoscopes and ensuring compatibility based on astrological signs. The emphasis on family, tradition, and societal norms continued to shape the institution of arranged marriages in India.

Internet era arranged marriage system

Traditionally, in the pre-Internet era, data about the bride and groom was obtained through the close relatives and acquaintances. As society evolved and due to the shift from an agrarian economy to an industrial economy to an information economy to a knowledge economy, people started migrating from their villages to cities to other countries for jobs and economical and other reasons. Due to this and the advent of the internet, online matrimonial sites have become the most preferred method of matchmaking.

The emergence of online matrimonial websites and mobile apps has revolutionized the process of arranged marriages. These platforms provide individuals with the opportunity to create detailed profiles, search for potential partners based on various criteria, and connect with prospective matches across different regions and communities. Video calls and online meetings have become increasingly popular for initial introductions and discussions between potential partners. Some individuals and families now prefer the term "assisted marriage" over "arranged marriage," emphasising that they are actively involved in the process and are seeking compatibility over mere tradition.

While the arranged marriage system has adapted to the internet era, it continues to integrate traditional values and customs. Factors such as horoscope matching, family background, and cultural compatibility remain important considerations for many families.

Overall, the internet era has significantly transformed the arranged marriage system in India, offering individuals more agency, choice, and access to information. While the traditional aspects of arranged marriages persist, the process has become more transparent, accessible, and tailored to the preferences and aspirations of the individuals involved.

Artificial Intelligence(AI) era arranged marriage system, some hypotheses

Currently, there are no widespread instances of AI being directly involved in the arranged marriage system in India. However, it's important to note that the advancement of technology, including artificial intelligence (AI), has the potential to influence various aspects of society, including marriage practices.

As per a recent study, Google knows so much about us from the aggregation of the digital breadcrumbs we leave in Google search, Google Play, Google Maps, Gmail, and YouTube( The songs/talks/podcasts we listen to, like, subscribe to, time of listening, to whom we share, etc ). Out of potentially millions of features, some may be extremely relevant and useful, while most may only have modest predictive power. But even among the modestly useful features, deep learning will find helpful subtle combinations that are informative but that humans cannot possibly fathom.

A recent study commissioned by Google's nemesis, Facebook, has indicated that already today the Facebook algorithm is a better judge of human personalities and dispositions than even people's friends, parents and spouses. The study was conducted on 86,220 volunteers who have a Facebook account and who completed a hundred-item personality questionnaire. The Facebook algorithm predicted the volunteers' answers based on monitoring their Facebook Likes - which webpages, images and clips they tagged with the Like button. The more Likes, the more accurate the predictions. The algorithm's predictions were compared with those of work colleagues, friends, family members and spouses. Amazingly, the algorithm needed a set of only ten Likes in order to outperform the predictions of work colleagues. It needed seventy Likes to outperform friends, 150 Likes to outperform family members and 300 Likes to outperform spouses. In other words, if you happen to have clicked 300 Likes on your Facebook account, the Facebook algorithm can predict your opinions and desires better than à your husband or wife!

If we consider the young generation who are most of the time online and actively using various social media platforms, marketplaces, various aggregator sites such as Amazon, Uber, OLA, travel planner sites, etc., just imagine how much digital exhaust or bread crumbs they are leaving for big data analysis and application of AI for better prediction.

In view of the above scenario and future development in AI/ML, here are some hypothetical ways in which the AI era might impact the arranged marriage system in India.

Matchmaking Algorithms: AI could be used to develop more sophisticated matchmaking algorithms that consider a wide range of factors, including personal preferences, compatibility, values, and background information, astrological data created due to digitization of Bhrigu Samhita to suggest potential matches that are highly compatible.

Data-Driven Decision Making: AI could assist families and individuals in making more informed decisions by analyzing large sets of data related to social, economic, and personal factors that contribute to successful marriages.

Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR): VR and AR technologies could be used to create virtual environments for prospective partners to interact and get to know each other better, even if they are geographically separated.

AI-Powered Conversational Agents: AI-driven chatbots and virtual assistants could provide guidance and support to individuals navigating the complexities of the arranged marriage process, offering advice, answering questions, and addressing concerns.

Predictive Analytics for Relationship Success: AI could potentially analyze past data to predict the likelihood of the success of a particular arranged marriage, considering various factors such as compatibility, family background, and cultural alignment.

Enhanced Security and Privacy Measures: AI could be employed to ensure the security and privacy of individuals using online platforms for arranged marriages, preventing data breaches and protecting sensitive information.

Given the rapidly evolving nature of technology, the following hypothetical situation may come soon.

Many of us would be happy to transfer much of our decision- making processes into the hands of such a system, or at least consult with it whenever we face important choices. Google will advise us which movie to see, where to go on holiday, what to study in college, which job offer to accept, and even whom to date and marry. 'Listen, Google,' I will say, I am dating both Sayali and Aishwarya. I like both of them, but in different ways, and it's so hard to make up my mind. Given everything you know, what do you advise me to do?'

And Google will answer: 'Well, I've known you from the day you were born. I have read all your emails, recorded all your phone calls, and know your favourite films, your DNA and the entire biometric history of your heart. I have exact data about each date you went on and, if you want, I can show you second- by-second graphs of your heart rate, blood pressure and sugar levels whenever you went on a date with Sayali or Aishwarya. If necessary, I can even provide you with an accurate mathematical ranking of every time you spent a good amount of time with them. And naturally, I know them as well as I know you. Based on all this information, on my superb algorithms, and on decades' worth of statistics about millions of relationships, I advise you to go with Sayali, with an 87 per cent probability that you will be more satisfied with her in the long run.

'Indeed, I know you so well that I also know you don't like this answer. Aishwarya is much more beautiful and belongs to a higher economic class than Sayali, and because you give external appearances too much weight, you secretly wanted me to say " Aishwarya ". Looks matter, of course, but not as much as you think. Your biochemical algorithms - which evolved tens of thousands of years ago on the African savannah - give looks a weight of 35 per cent in their overall rating of potential mates. My algorithms - which are based on the most up-to-date studies and statistics - say that looks have only a 14 per cent impact on the long-term success of romantic relationships. So, even though I took Aishwarya's looks into account, I still tell you that you would be better off with Sayali.

It's important to note that while AI has the potential to enhance various aspects of the matchmaking process, it should be used thoughtfully and ethically. Privacy, data security, and fairness in AI algorithms are significant considerations.

AI cannot have an objective function of maximization of love and affection. AI can provide valuable insights, but the human element of connection, compatibility, love, affection and shared values remains essential in any marriage. Balancing technological advancements with cultural values and human emotions remains a critical aspect of any potential integration of AI into the arranged marriage system or any other cultural practice.

References

1. Homo Deus: A brief history of tomorrow by Yuval Noah Harari

2. AI 2041: Ten Visions for Our Future by Kai-Fu Lee, Chen Qiufan, et al.

3. Chat.openai.com