Although an advocate for the tradition, Mohammed said “Unfortunately there are cases of individuals; not necessarily being forced into marriage, but they face massive pressure from their family to marry who has been chosen for them. Family honour is a key issue here.” Mohammed believes that although the custom is evolving with the times, young men have more of a voice than young women when marriage is concerned. 
There are no official statistics as arranged marriages are not differentiated from personal choice marriages anywhere in the world. However, the divorce rate of arranged marriage is significantly lower with an estimated 5-7 per cent divorce rate compared to 50 per cent (personal choice marriage) in the US.
Critics argue that the low divorce rate in arranged marriages is mainly due to community pressure, and fear of being disowned which prevents unhappy couples divorcing. This is uncertain as divorce is still very much a taboo subject within South Asian culture today.
Whatever the reason may be, one thing is for certain- a growing number of career minded British Asians are seeking arranged marriages; whether it be online, via speed dating or the ‘aunty’ network.
Posted by Sheela
Career, Culture & Commitment 