Final answer:
The practice of seeking a spouse outside one's own group, known as exogamy, focuses on personal values such as love, rather than social conformity. As cultures evolve, so do marriage practices, with increased acceptability of exogamous unions and the adaptation to globalization leading to new forms such as online arranged marriages. Each culture has distinct norms that dictate appropriate marriage practices.
Step-by-step explanation:
The practice of seeking a spouse outside one's own group is known as exogamy. This social practice involves entering into a marriage with someone from a different social category, which focuses on personal values like love and compatibility over economic status or social conformity. In contrast, an endogamous marriage is one where partners come from the same social background and often align with traditional expectations to marry within one's own class or group. Modern times see a reduced pressure to adhere strictly to endogamy due to progressive ideologies and the reduction of practices like miscegenation laws.
Across different cultures, marriage practices can be quite diverse, ranging from arranged marriages with negotiation between families to the adaptation of new forms like online marriages arranged through marriage brokers or dating websites. This trend reflects how marriage, as a cultural institution, is adapting to globalization and the cultural values of myriad societies. The globalization of economies and increasing individual mobility for work have also made it easier for people to form exogamous unions, even when they are from vastly different cultural or ethnic backgrounds, such as the growing acceptance of racial exogamy in the United States.
Additionally, unique practices such as ghost marriage and the levirate are cultural adaptations to specific social and familial needs. While the majority of cultures practice some form of exogamy, particularly when it relates to rules against incest, each culture has its distinct rules and norms that dictate the parameters within which marriage is considered appropriate.