Blog Prompt 12 - Arranged Marriages

Long ago, arranged marriages was the norm. Now, it is frowned upon except in some cultures. To clear up the misunderstanding, arranged marriages are not forced marriages. They are simply marriages which a third party introduces two people who might or might be acquainted to each other, meanwhile avoiding the process of dating or courtship. Arranged marriages are not the kind of marriage where the bride is forced by her parents into marriages. Both the the bride and groom have the choice whether to accept the other as their partner for life. There are many pros and cons of arranged marriages and that is why some cultures still practice arranged marriages while others condemn it. First the pros:Firstly, the divorce rate of arranged marriages are lower than in the United States, where love marriages are the norm. People in arranged marriages rarely divorce in order to avoid the embarrassment of having to return the dowry even if it is not explicitly said or because it is condemned by society and family in general in those cultures. Other cultures which do not practice arranged marriages usually do not really condemn divorce. At most, it is frown upon.
Also, arranged marriages are arranged by a third party who is specially chosen for this task. The third party is usually a matchmaker of some sort, thus having much experience in this area. This makes the marriages more stable in that sense than one decided in the heat of the moment.
Finally, arranged marriages allows for individuals who have a hard time finding a mate (disabilities etc.) to find a mate and get married. Of course, the bride/groom might reject the match but at least said individual would get introduced to more people than in a love marriage society.
And now the con:
There are quite a few cons but the one that stands out is that arranged marriages are only as good as the people arranging it. IF the matchmaker is not doing the job properly, the arranged marriage has a very high chance of ending with a divorce, which should constitute of most of the arranged marriages which end with a divorce. That said, it is unlikely that the bride or groom would agree to the match if the matchmaker just randomly picked someone off the street.