e is an extremely important facet of extended family life, a societal structure which is still governed by the century-old caste system. In fact, marriage is considered the most common and respectable way of life and a quasi-obligatory sacrament in Hinduism (Kluck, 1985, p. 242). And, though under pressure from modern society's more open and egalitarian approach to life in general, most marriages are still arranged by the parents, a duty they view with much seriousness.
Because of India's caste system, whereby society is divided into social groups which dominate all social relations, most marriages take place between equal families of the same "jati," meaning the same endogamous unit within this system. If there is a difference in social status, it is small. "The only generally acceptable deviation from the rule of absolute equality for such families is for the husband to come from a higher status family" (Kluck, 1985, p. 242). For a daughter to marry down in status is extremely rare because jati purity and ritual ranking are tied to women's purity and such a stop would reflect negatively on the entire jati. "The acceptability of a given spouse involves finely calibrated distinctions between grades of standing and subtle trade-offs of one family's strengths against the other's weaknesses" (Kluck, 1985, p. 242).
While different regions of the country practice variations to the marriage theme, such as whether marriages are allowed between members of the same village or not, and rules are bent as practical considerations dictate, marriage in India is the most public arena in which family standing is evaluated (Kluck, 1985, p. 244). Any slur against the daughters of a household endangers the family and jati standing. A daughter who runs off, even if legally wed, is considered an outcast and her siblings may find it impossible to obtain husbands.
Though laws have established fifteen as the minimum age for girls to wed and...