4. Women are seen as the caretakers. The global divorce rate from the relationships that form in this way is about five times lower than what it is in the West when individuals choose their life partner. If you meet someone independently, there could be religious, educational, and occupational barriers in the way. If you love being married, good news: being married may also help you live longer. Some relationships, such as the one that Al-Marashi describes, benefit from the arranged marriage process because there is time built into the schedule so that a meaningful courtship can occur. What is required on the marriage registry form is the details about the couple's parents- name,age,address, occupation etc. 8. Customary marriages do not only have to meet the requirements in the RCM, but also the traditions and custom requirements of the parties involved. If the marriage is dissolved, both parties are entitled to an equal division of the joint estate. Couples who find themselves independently often struggle with their family structures because someone disagrees with their selection of a partner. The Western dating scene means that you are under constant pressure to date numerous people to see what type of person you’d like to settle in with for a serious relationship. Women bear the responsibility of self-care from an early age. So thank your husband or wife the next time you buckle your seat belt. The rate of marriage is at its lowest in 150 years for a number of reasons, but there are still many advantages to tying the knot. The Recognition of Customary Marriages Act 120 of 1998 was promulgated in South Africa in 2000. Some families may not even permit the bride or groom to have a say in what happens during the ceremony. By Chantel Cronje These are the key points to review. Men are seen as the moneymakers in many of the cultures where arranged marriages are a way of life. “Breaking an engagement was a big thing and I got scared. Yes, love is all you need, but hey, it doesn't hurt that marriage has so many awesome perks. Matchmaking is not a process where someone needs to stand up to their culture in rebellion to marry the person they love. 2. 4. These relationships struggle to work because of that perspective. All these tax benefits almost makes paying taxes fun! when the law does stuff that isn't helpful is a weakness. Imagine Christian parents creating a marriage to prevent their son from marrying someone who practices Islam. One interesting way is that married people take fewer risks, including substance abuse. ) The marriage is negotiated, celebrated and entered into, according to customary law. ) Your parents can offer supportive advice about the relationship. A customary marriage is one where the spouses are married in terms of custom as opposed to the laws of a country, usually referred to a as civil marriage. While the registration of a customary marriage is provided for in terms of the Act, according to section 4(9), a failure to register a customary marriage does not render that marriage invalid. There are numerous advantages of a traditional marriage the main reasons would be the commitment, honor, and love between the two individuals involved. If someone feels forced into this relationship, then the negatives of such a pairing are more likely to come out one day. You may be constantly annoyed by your spouse stealing the covers, but a study of nearly 2,000 women found that women who reported being in a happy marriage also had better sleep. Advantages of Marriage. It's certainly possible to be happy and single, and marriage by no means guarantees happiness. If you're thinking about making the walk down the aisle (or into city hall), you may be interested to learn about these surprising benefits to being married. Although this advantage of an arranged marriage is somewhat cultural, it is essential to point out that over half (55%) of the couples who enter into matrimony do so through this process. This action limits the personal choices that both parties can make. Instead of exploring at a pace that suits your needs, an arranged marriage forces you to form a specific partnership based on the desires of others. Married people who underwent major heart surgery were three times more likely than unmarried people to still be alive 15 years later, according to researchers from the University of Rochester. This disadvantage can occur for kids as young as 12. Marriage is expected to be between 2 consenting adults not babies why presence or consent of parents. Top 10 Advantages of Getting Married. A married person may have more options when it comes to health insurance. It gives men more of an opportunity to control the relationship. "We found that unpaired individuals of both sexes had higher cortisol levels than married individuals," said one researcher. There are many people who want the element of surprise in their romantic relationships, much like you can see on the silver screen. Our entertainment options today support the idea that having parents or guardians involved in the selection of a lifetime partner is a backwards idea that has outlived its usefulness. You could have Jewish parents arranging a partnership to stop a potential relationship with someone who is agnostic. You may know there are tax benefits to being married, but what you may not realize is how many different tax benefits there are to saying "I do." There are certainly some advantages to consider when a partner is chosen for you with an arranged marriage, but some disadvantages persist with this pairing even in the cultures that continue to practice it. There are many couples who are still writing their love story today because of an arranged marriage. The only means to improve your living conditions is to discover a family who is amenable to let you “marry up.” Some families even use this arrangement as a way to curb the outside forces of “undesired” genetics, habits, or conventions from joining their family structure. This disadvantage occurs most often when the couple in question does not have time to meet with one another before the ceremony. Customary marriages were not treated as real marriages, but only as “customary unions”. Some cultures expect certain events to occur during this moment as well, such as bleeding to indicate that the bride is a virgin. 3. Jay Richards, in the Vol. That means a daughter can become an expensive proposition, especially if a dowry becomes necessary to create a relationship. If you're thinking about making the walk down the aisle (or into city hall), you may be interested to learn about these surprising benefits to being married. Many of the cultures that embrace the idea of an arranged marriage support the concept that the male is the leader of the household. This disadvantage means that the average woman is asked to carry the burden of self-responsibility from an early age. That opportunity does not present itself to every couple. This disadvantage can apply to their honeymoon (if they get one), or even the first official days of the marriage. There is an effort at cooperation instead of meddling. Although the initial contacts between the families went well, the relationship fell through because she didn’t wear glasses when video chatting with her potential husband’s family. They were childhood friends, or their families met often, and the relationship between the bride and groom could grow because there was more than blind emotion fueling the pairing. There is a one-sidedness to the support where the person from “their” family receives the top priority. And spouses also don't have to pay federal estate taxes when one member of the couple dies. By definition, a customary marriage is a union that is negotiated, celebrated and concluded in terms of indigenous African customary law. This is an attempt to depart from the patriarchal system of customary marriage which has existed for decades. But at least one study from the University of Virginia showed that single people in their twenties are "more likely to drink to excess, to be depressed, and to report lower levels of satisfaction with their lives, compared to married twentysomethings." While anyone who is married could tell you it isn't all steak dinners and roses, marriage has gotten a surprisingly bad rap lately. The woman is entitled to bring this matter to the court. division of property following divorce (Family law -CUSTOMARY LAW) divorce (Family law -CUSTOMARY LAW) ... Pension benefits. Over time, being married can actually change the way people behave for the better. When you have an idea that matrimony is the intent of the relationship, then everyone can be clear about their expectations from the start. It is the ingredient that differentiates a customary marriage from mere cohabitation, popularly known as vat en sit. That means there is more stability available to them at home. If it is a forced, negative, or undesired moment, then it pushes people away from one another. Some brides and grooms know for years that their parents plan to match them with a specific individual. Something as simple as being Catholic vs. Protestant in the United States can create conflict in families based on where the ceremony will be held or how the children are raised. Before independence, the government gave less recognition to customary marriages than to civil marriages. And we must also ask if the current version of marriage is serving us well compared to the alternatives. Although this family structure may have been necessary in past human civilizations because of the shorter lifespans that people had, it is poverty and desperation that cause it today. marriage contracted under customary law must fulfill the requirements of the particular customary law where it was celebrated. 6. If they want a divorce, they can still what regular married couples are entitled to, but for that, they have to prove they were married or had the intention to do os. According to researcher Dr. Christopher Fagundes, people who live together act more cautiously than people who live alone, and they become even more cautious after they get hitched. This relationship can make spouses feel alienated in their own home. “Clear intentions are a fast track to intimate and deep conversation,” writes Huda Al-Marashi for Self, who has been in an arranged marriage for over 20 years, “and right away, we were able to talk openly about the issues that really matter in a relationship – compatibility, values, and goals.”. Some people in this situation are forced into a place of intimacy with someone who is a complete stranger, yet they are also a spouse. If that expectation is not met, then the male distrusts the circumstances of their coupling, and can sometimes become abusive because of it. “I had to either be a good Afghan girl, who accepted whatever decision was made for me, or be a bad girl and leave,” Zarghuna Kargar told The Guardian. The legal benefits of a civil marriage include protecting one another with: Support – being married obligates you to a duty of support to one another depending on each party’s needs. The legal advantages of marriage. Arranged marriages often restrict the decisions that a couple has when choosing a partner. Arranged marriages have less conflict in the home. Almost. The families who bring their children together cannot afford to endure divisions that could last for several years. Typically such benefits include preserving their mental and emotional health, living longer, keeping their hearts healthy and so on. “Not only were we raised with the same religion and traditions,” writes Al-Marashi, “but we both embraced them and wanted to carry them on… I have already lost so many of my family’s culture and traditions, and I appreciated having a spouse that can help me pass down as much of my heritage to my children as possible.