The Fracturing Institution: Analysing The Decline Of Traditional Marriage In Contemporary India

Abstract

Today traditional arranged marriages in India, which was historically a sacred and indissoluble union between families rather than just individuals, is now undergoing a significant transformation. This Research paper addresses the question to what extent have demographic imbalances, economic transformations, educational expansion, and technological disruptions contributed to the major decline of traditional arranged marriage in India as a universal institution, and how do these factors vary across class, region, and gender. Synthesizing data from the National Family Health Survey-5, National Sample Survey, Census records (1971–2011), and ethnographic studies, the paper identifies four primary drivers: Structural demographic imbalance creating 39 million surplus grooms, Economic liberalisation producing urban-rural divergence in marriage timing, Female educational expansion altering assortative mating and delaying marriage among educated women, and Dating applications enabling partner selection beyond caste boundaries. This paper argues that rather than uniform decline, India is experiencing polarised restructuring among disadvantaged populations that is rural, less-educated, lower-caste, marriage remains nearly universal but increasingly distressed (bride shortage, dowry inflation, cross-region migration) among privileged populations (urban, highly educated, wealthy), marriage is becoming selective, delayed, and increasingly questioned. This divergence has significant implications for gender relations, family policy, and social welfare in the world’s most populous nation.