Final answer:
Marriages have often been arranged to create alliances and maintain societal norms, with factors like dowries influencing negotiations. Diverse practices, such as ghost marriages, highlight the cultural complexity of marriage arrangements. Despite changes over time, marriage remains a fundamental cultural institution.
Step-by-step explanation:
Marriages have historically been arranged for various reasons, including the formation of alliances between families or communities, and because of societal norms dictating the age of marriage and the roles of women and men in society.
In many cultures, marriage was not just an individual choice based on mutual affection but also a strategic decision to ensure the stability and prosperity of families and lineages. Lower-class women, who were more reliant on their husband's status to enhance their own, often had less sway in these arrangements. Wealthy women with a large dowry could have some influence in the marital negotiations.
In other societies, marriages were arranged at a community level to ensure the formation of beneficial relationships or to uphold certain cultural traditions. The complexity of arranged marriages can be exemplified by practices like ghost marriages, where even deceased individuals could be married off to strengthen family ties.
Modernity has brought changes to the institution of marriage, with some arranged marriages facilitated through websites and marriage brokers, especially for those seeking to maintain cultural ties in an increasingly globalized world.
Despite the differences in marital practices around the world and across different eras, the essence of marriage as a cultural institution persists. It is a reflection of societal norms, economic considerations, and the values of the communities practicing it. The motivations for arranged marriages, whether to form alliances or maintain status, demonstrate the intricate socio-cultural fabric of human societies.