In our North American culture, marriage is assumed to be based on two people making the decision to live together forever because they are in love. If a marriage in American fails, the two individuals simply move on with their lives and the divorce is accepted by their family as well as society. Not all cultures, such as those of India, regard marriage in such a casual way however and in those cultures marriages are truly expected to last forever. The different attitudes with which Americans and Indians regard marriage have an effect on the final stability of the union; because the Indians devote a great amount of time and effort into finding a good match, the marriage lasts longer even though "true love" may not be a factor in the decision.
             In India, where parents arrange marriages for their sons and daughters, divorce is not only uncommon, it is also not accepted by society. Because such emphasis is placed on a strong lasting marriage, the parent's choice of a spouse for their child is thought through viewing every aspect of the possible matches. Due to the fact that Indians base so much value on family, the search for a good match goes beyond he person their child will potentially marry and focuses greatly on that family's reputation and social class as well. IF the family has a poor reputation it is not a good match because the two families will be joined together through marriage and share the same reputation. Because of all the considerations that go into arranging a marriage and the fact that parents want to best spouse possible for their children, the arranged marriages tend to be very successful. Even though the married couple may not know one another at the time of the marriage, the believe that they will have the rest of their lives to get to know each other and fall in love. The parents do allow for their children to have some opinion in which they marry in that they will not force a marriage...