Caste is a huge deal in India and if you're someone who hasn't seen it in its full force then all you should do is visit any Indian matrimonial site and you'll see just how particular people are when it comes to their caste. However, a new study has found that there is a shift in this belief now that Indians on matrimonial sites are becoming more open to intercaste marriages. Researchers analysed data from matrimonial sites and came across this information.
They also found that Indians who were settled in the US were less likely to opt for intercaste marriage as their focus is seemingly on maintaining cultural identity in a place where they're deemed as the minority. For the study, the researchers looked at the profiles of nearly 313,000 profiles from a prominent Indian matrimonial website. Along with other questions on the website, there was even a direct question which asked them if they were willing to opt for an intercaste marriage.
“Despite a lot of effort from the government and social groups, caste remains an important part of people’s lives,” said Ashwin Rajadesingan, from University of Michigan. “This caste question is actually on the first page on their questionnaire which really emphasises how important some people consider it,” said Rajadesingan. “People on the site are looking to get married, so their response is a great way to get their honest opinion,” said Rajadesingan.
“Most studies only get to look at a few aspects due to data collection challenges,” said David Jurgens, also from the University of Michigan. “However we found that younger generations are more open to intercaste marriage, which is pointing to a generational shift in attitudes,” he said. “We also find it’s part of a broader cultural shift away from looking for a spouse that matches family-desired qualities to those things you yourself want to see -- looking for someone who is funny rather than someone who will take care of your mother,” he added.
The researchers also added that in the past it was difficult to determine whether people were willing to enter into intercaste marriage because when asked about the same these people gave answers that were expected of them rather than what they actually felt. However, through the help of this data on matrimonial websites, the researchers were able to determine how many people actually didn't mind getting into intercaste marriage.
