2. Submitted to:
Lutfun Nahar Lata
Faculty, Department of Economics and Social Sciences (ESS)
BRAC University
Submitted By:
Sl Name
No
ID
Department
1
Afsary Adiba Priyanka
12204079
BBS
2
Ishita Das
12204094
BBS
3
Tamman Hossain Tonmoy
12204084
BBS
4
Shabnoor Shanam Tussneem
12204001
BBS
5
Humayra Tasnim
12204073
BBS
6
Sharmin Akter
12204088
BBS
3. Contents
Sl
No
Section
Page No
1
Introduction
4
2
Methodology
4-6
2.1 Focus Group
4
2.2 Group Size
5
2.3 Data Collection
5
2.4 Data Analysis
5
2.5 Limitation
6
Description based on Findings
6-11
3.1 Mate Selection Procedure
6-7
3.2 Social Issued Faced
7
3.3 Getting Socially Accepted
8
3.4 Finding Ways to get United
8-9
3
3.5 Review of the focus group on Traditional Marriage 9-10
Procedure
3.6 Review by the Focus Group
10-11
4
11-12
4.1 Positives
12
4.2 Negatives
5
Collectives
12
Conclusion
12-13
References
13
4. Topic title: changing trend of marriage- a sociological analysis based on
Dhaka
Abstract:
This paper mainly focuses on different aspects of changing trend of marriage and how adults of
Bangladesh are adjusting to this new ways of getting married and selecting mate. There will be
different aspects and point of view of people regarding the topic on this paper. We mainly
focused on the positive side of the topic. For better understanding the topic is divided into
several points.
1. Introduction:
In current Bangladesh most the people no longer follow the established way of choosing mate
and getting married. Now, the trend of getting married has changed. People now follow new
ways and procedures of getting married than people previous to two decades ago.
Customarily people used to rely on parents or relatives for mate selection but with the passage of
time the scenario has changed. Now most the people choose their own mate with similar interests
and liking most of the time from their peer group. Say it a effect of globalization or
modernization people now days do not like the idea of getting wedded to a stranger who their
parents select for them. Rather they want to share their rest of the life with a person they are
compatible with and share their primary responsibility of reproduction.
In this paper, different people were interviewed regarding the aspects that fall under changing
trend of marriage. Each person has expressed their opinion and experiences about marriage have
been analyzed into segments in this paper.
2. Methodology:
2.1 Focus Group:
The core focus for us was to interview people who got married over the past 10 years. Our focus
group was aged from 25-40. Each member of the focus group has different social status and
background yet their experiences are fairly similar on the subject of marriage.
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5. 2.2 Group Size:
We had only one group of married people with number of twelve member in it.
2.3 Data Collection:
It is without doubt that our approach to data collection was primary. Our target was to ask the
focus group the procedure of their mate selection, social obstacles and benefit they got from
society, their entire pre marriage experience, and also to ask their review on the changing trend
of marriage. We tried making more précised questions to the focus group so that they could
answer them more easily. Our group has tried to interview each member personally but due to
some reasons we used technological help to conduct our interview. With blessing of internet
some of us took the interview online of our focus group. Some of us did conduct the interview
personally interviewing the focus group. Each member has collected interview records of two
members of the focus group.
2.4 Data Analysis:
The method that we have used to analyze the data is coding and thematic analysis. Coding is an
interpretive technique that seeks to both organize the data and provide a means to introduce the
interpretations of it into certain quantitative methods. Thematic analysis emphasizes pinpointing,
examining, and recording patterns (or "themes") within data. So coding and thematic analysis
involves analysis of interviewed outcome over and over again to get particular segments after
hours of discussion and analysis and also finding what we are looking for from the information
collected. While analyzing the focus groups data we directly used the apparent level of thematic
analysis.
The observed results of the focus group’s interviewed data have been utilized in this paper to
stand for our topic. Direct speech marks of the interviewed data of observed results have been
used to justify and show valid stand of topic.
5
6. 2.5 Limitation:
As any study, this study has also some limitations:
1. Lack of interviewed persons (especially men)
2. Couldn’t carry out interview together with whole group
3. Scarcity of information
4. Political issues such as hartal (strike)
3. Descriptions based on Finding:
By analyzing the focus group we can understand that mate selection and ways of getting
marriage has changed in last decade. People are choosing their partner on their own way and
getting married with the help of their parents and society. The discussion with the focus group
has been divided into six sections based on the questions we asked them. We have divided the
topic in sections and most they show the similarities about the topic among the focus group.
3.1 Mate Selection Procedure:
There is wide cross-cultural variation in the social rules that govern the selection of marriage
partners. In some communities, partner selection is an individual decision, while in others, it is a
collective decision made by the partners' kin groups. Among different cultures, there is also
variation in the rules regulating whom individuals can choose to marry. So now let’s see how our
focus group has selected mate for them.
Humayra: “From our interview we understand that the mate selection way has changed now.
Many people are now choosing their partner by themselves”.
Nusrat: “We were class mates.”
Nahida: “I selected my mate by myself.”
Nabila: “My parents selected my mate for me.”
Sumy: “He was my class mate. And at first we were good friends. Then we fell in love”.
Rajesh Datta: “By my own choice”.
6
7. Keya: “We met at his college. He was senior and we had affair for 4 years.”
Prity: “The selection of my mate is a long story, but I’m explaining it in short. The name of my
mate is Russel. At first I mate him in a marriage ceremony. His behavior, attitude & personality
impressed me a lot. And then I fell in love with him.”
Out of our entire interviewed person we found only one person whose mate was selected by her
parents. So it quite clear that most of the people (at least now we assume so) select mate for them
by themselves.
3.2 Social Issues Faced:
Now days, many people are not following the tradition. Many of them are now finding their life
partner by themselves. For that reason they have to face many problems from their society and
family as Bangladeshi people has not become so progressed yet. Regarding the fact of selecting
their own mate our focus has faced some social issues as they are the part of society. Because of
this trend in our society many of them faced some social bindings and issues.
Shumy: “I faced so many problems when I tried to convince my parents. They tortured me
physically and mentally. They stopped to bear my educational expenses. They blackmailed me
emotionally. They tried to engage me with their chosen person. But after so many struggles I was
able to convince them.”
Prity: “You know about our society, if anyone selects their life partner by him or herself, the
society can’t take it easily. I also had to face this type of problem. My relatives started to talk
many negative things about my mate.”
Humayra: “I faced many kinds of problem like my family took my mobile phone, they also
wanted to stop my study then they gave me few months to forget my love and many things.”
Nusrat: “The main problems that I faced was regarding zero age difference”
Few other participants let us know thatMukti: “Didn’t face any of problems. But they don’t agree my likings anyways.”
Rajesh: “They were really surprised by it as it was quite unexpected for them.”
It is not that each and every one has faced same problems but most of them did face issues
socially either by parents or relatives. And some of them didn’t have to face any problems. But
many people who come across this issues has eventually managed to get out of it which will be
discussed in the further sections.
7
8. 3.3 Getting Socially Accepted:
Even after facing social issues our focus finally they got either permission or got accepted by
their family and society. Here are some speech marks of our focus group how they got socially
accepted.
Shumy: “Some relatives of mine were in opposite side of my thought. But some were beside me
and they help me to manage my parents.”
Shanta: “Yes some relatives reacted at first but when they came to know that my parents
supported me then they also agreed with me.”
Nusrat: “They were supportive throughout.”
Rezwana: “I didn’t face any problems to convince them. My relatives, they came to know about
it throughout my parents and so had the same reaction as them.”
Navila: “My relative was also very happy when they heard about my mate selection procedure.”
Rajesh: “They were not satisfied but eventually they took it easily.”
At end we think it comes down to the happiness of focus group for which reason their family
members and elatives accepted them as a couple finally. Let check how our focus group felt after
getting socially accepted.
Shumy: “I was so happy when my parents accepted my mate.”
Shanta: “That time I was so happy that I couldn’t express my feelings to anyone in a word.”
Navila: “I was very much happy.”
Rajesh: “Great emotional feeling as like all my dreams came true.”
Rezwana: “I felt blessed.”
There is no greater feeling than getting accepted by society and family this we can assume by our
target group’s speech marks.
3.4 Finding ways of getting united:
As most of our focus group selected their own mate before they giving their parents a chance to
select mates for themselves. As we know most of our interviewees selected their mates by
themselves but they got united (married) with the help their parents and families support and
blessings.
8
9. Now we go directly to our interviewees how they got united to their mate:
Shumy: “I and my mate got united by the help of my parents. Because at last I was able to
convince them.”
Navila: “By the help of family and myself too.”
Mukti: “By an organized family arrangement from both sides we got united.”
Prity: “After accepting my mate, parents decided to arrange a marriage ceremony for us. So we
got united by the help of our family. My parent’s invited lots of people on my ceremony.”
Rajesh: “By the help and the assistance of our all family members.”
Rezwana: “With the complete approval and blessing from my family.”
People are now more likely to perform this type of marriage practices. Moreover, most of the
people managed get their parents blessing and support while getting married to their selected
mate.
3.5 Review by focus group on traditional marriage procedure:
The target group thinks all time family members cannot be right so they should give us the
chance to select their mate. On the other hand, they want their family supervision, support and
assistance in any type of marriage procedure.
So our target group stated that:
Mukti: “Own choice has no option for complaining, but family choice there is a little chance for
producing complains.”
Keya: “Well, these types of marriages are also good. But there are some negative points from
my view point. We cannot get time to know each other if our parents choose mate for us. Parents
select mate for us by watching the family backgrounds, wealth, education etc. So, that their
daughter or son lead a happy life with their mate.”
Nahida: “Marriage is a way of life that helps to make family and it is really beautiful when it is
occurred with the help of our parents.”
Rezwana: “I do not believe in it. It is just a past tradition that some people still relies on.”
Nusrat: “I had an 8 years long relationship and then marriage. So arrange marriage is a bit
absurd to me”.
9
10. Here most of our target groups do not believe in traditionalmarriage procedure because they
already selected their mate by themselves. However, before people used to marry someone
selected by their parents but now peoples mentality has changed so one will not like to marry
someone selected by parents. Because the mate the parents select may not have similar interest
with.
3.6 Review of the Focus Group:
Marriage is considered to be a social necessarily and responsibility. In the socio-economic
perspective of Dhaka city nowadays the trend and pattern of marriage has transformed in a huge
way. Long gone are the days when In terms of marriage people only used to think about
traditional arranged marriage. However, in recent time’s modern people especially the new
couples think from different point of view as their outlook towards marriage trend has changed.
So we asked our focus group about their review in the changing trend of marriage by giving
them three probable choices. In the following paragraphs we can actually have a glance what our
focus group considers about the changing trend of marriage in Dhaka city:
They went with the first option which was “Still people rely on family or relatives for mate
selection”
Nabila: “Still people rely on parents for mate selection because they know us better than
ourselves and they choose the best mate for us.”
They went for option two “Parents giving the freedom of mate selection”
Nahida: “Now parents are giving their children freedom to select mate for themselves because
they thought that their children will choose their mate perfect for them because it’s about
marriage because their children have to live with that person whom they love.ose the best mate
for us.”
Rezwana: “Soon this will be the most popular trend as soon as people start trusting their
children’s choices.”
They went for choice three which was stated “Parents are analyzing the mate you selected for
yourself and gives permission if he/she satisfy what they are looking for”
Keya: “The trend of Dhaka has been changing day by day that means parents are accepting the
mates that their children choose to marry. The parents first analyze if the mate is good or not,
established or not, the family backgrounds etc if all the demands are satisfied then they allow or
accept the love marriage. For me this changing trend is good for this and next generation.”
10
11. Nusrat: “Still now our society doesn’t trust one to select their mate completely on their own. But
they had realized that finding bride/groom for their children is no more an easy task as kids now
days are more stubborn about their choices for their suitor. Hence the third choice has become
quite a popular trend as it balances the both the tradition and modernization.”
Mukti: “Parents think of their son’s/ daughter’s future security in terms of wealth, money,
social status, education and happiness.”
Shumy: “In this city, not only our parents are modern but also they are very conscious about
their children’s life. For that reason, they generally give some freedom to their children but
when we choose anyone as our life partner, they do not agree at the first time. They first analyze
the choosing mate then think whether he or she is perfect or not for their child. I think it is good.
Because our parents are more experienced than us. There are more chances doing anything
wrong by us than our parents. We can choose a wrong person but when they analyze the mate
they can understand the mate is good or bad for their child.”
Prity: “I want to talk about 3rd option: in our country parents are very careful and conscious
about their children. If their children choose anyone as their life partner, at first they wanted to
know about the boy/girl and then they decide that if he or she is the perfect person for their
children or not.”
Rajesh: “According to me, it is last one. Nowadays parents are also advanced ad they are
giving their children the opportunity to choose their mate at the same time they are analyzing the
selected mate and guiding them if they are wrong.”
As we can most them went for the third option as they themselves got married that way. They
also thinks that our society is not yet so developed that they can give their children that kind of
freedom of selecting mate and getting married right away with any necessary concern about
society or family. But many did go with first and second option too.
4. Collectives:
After analyzing every aspects of changing trend of marriage we can say that there are certain
points that can be the negative side of this new trend. Having both positive and negative side
changing trend of marriage has touched the lives of every adult in our country. Now barely
people get married with mate selected by their family or society. People now wants to spend
their lives with a person with whom they have common interests with and with whom they are
compatible with.
11
12. 4.1 Positives:
People now select their own mate on the basis of love and compatibility. Our focus group does
not prefer for traditional marriage and so are most of the people. Love and compatibility is an
important foundation for marriage. In spite of having of few options like a. getting married with
desired partner without consent of the family or b. getting married with mate selected by family
people go for the option where they will get married with own selected mate with the consent of
the family. This choice makes the married couple stays happy in the society along with their
families. No is defaulted in this case and balance in the society is also maintained.
4.2 Negatives:
Just like the positives side there are some negatives to this aspects getting married. Sometimes
although parents agree to get their offspring’s to get married they actually never behaves the
same with them after marriage. Again the society also plays a vital role in ruining the couple’s
happy life by giving several types of taunts in social functions. Another negative aspect that can
be shown is that if the couples are not compatible with each other anymore the families don’t
accept them back and don’t let them separate.
5. Conclusion:
The main objective of writing this paper is to highlight points which have brought gradual
changes in the traditional marriage and mate selection procedure. People are now choosing mate
by their own choice and find common interests with. Before getting married they like to know
that person better and want to be sure if he/she is suitable for spending the rest of the live with
and to form a family with. Their family and society is also gradually accepting this fact that now
people cannot get married to a person they barely know.
Fowler’s (2007) study found that –“Love is one of the processes through which human beings
become attracted to one another, and in one of the way we have become accustomed to doing it
in modern times, we seek a single partner with whom to fall in love with”(p.63). So being in love
is also important for the mate selection procedure. People usually choose a person as mate if they
are in love with him/her and are compatible with. Compatibility and love is important so is
family’s consent. Especially in our country it is important as we grow up and live with our
family for a long time. People cannot stay happy even if they are married to their selected mate if
they marry without the consent of family. Thus now the combination personal selected mate with
consent of family has changed the trend of getting married.
12
13. Some people still rely on their family for mate section and some do not get permission of parents
of getting married to selected mate by own choice so they elope with their partner. This way
people cannot start expanding family easily. So this new trend help one couple to stay happy and
expand family easily. Based on our study now we can say that marrying own selected partner
with family’s consent and society’s acceptance has become the popular choice in our country.
References:
1. Fowler, A.C. (2007). Human Architecture: Journal of the Sociology of Self-knowledge. Love
and Marriage Through the Lens of Sociological Theories, 2, 61-72.
2. Qualitative Data Analysis (2010). Methods of Qualitative Data Analysis. [Online] Retrieved
From http://www.qualitative-data-analysis.com/methods-of-qualitative-data-analysis.html
3. Wikipedia (2013). Thematic analysis. [Online] Retrieved from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thematic_analysis
