Dynamics of Marriage and Family

Dynamics of Marriage and Family 3(3+0)

Lesson 6 : Prevalent Forms of Marriage

Marriage Based on Caste

According to the castes of the partners the marriage is classified as:

1. Hypergamous (anuloma): A marriage in which a boy follows the rule of hypergamy and marries a girl from the sub-caste lower to him and vice versa.
2. Hypogamous (pratiloma): According to the rule of hypogamy, man belonging to the lower sub caste marries the girl belonging to the higher sub caste. In ancient scriptures, it is also given thatpratiloma marriages, whereby a girl is married to a boy from a lower caste sub-caste, was condemned.
3. Homogamous: Homogamy refers to marriage between the partners who resemble themselves in certain ways. In present day, homogamy is one of the most common criteria for mate selection among the youth.

Reasons behind the origin or prevalence of rule of hypergamy and hypogamy:
According to sociologists, the rule of hypergamy or hypogamy was followed to fix permanently a social hierarchy in which the ascendancy of the Brahmin over Kshatryias and higher subcastes over lower subcastes was categorically asserted.

Reasons behind decline in the prevalence of rule of hypergamy and hypogamy:
The reasons for decline in prevalence of hypergamy and hypogamy in India are the sum collective of reasons behind decline of exogamy and endogamy in India.