For a modern Westerner, the idea of an arranged marriage is abhorrent because it appears to take away the choice of romance. Yet in powerful families in Europe throughout history, children were put into arranged marriages to enrich their families and make alliances which were beneficial. Often there was no choice, especially for the girls and they had to make the best of it. 

When parents make an arranged marriage they are looking at the institution as a business deal.  Romance is irrelevant.  Parents want to marry their child to someone who will enhance their family prestige and bring money and property.  This usually avoids the issue that romantic marriages have sometimes, of coming from different cultures, different economic status and different classes.  One problem in the Indian subcontinent is that if the girl does not bring enough money she might be killed off by her new relatives in an ‘honor’ killing. The groom is then free to marry someone else with more money. 

Some arranged marriages can be happy.  This depends, however, on whether the parents allow the future bride and groom any choice in the matter of partner.  The Cantonese Chinese in Trinidad used to arrange marriages but the couples were given time together to decide whether they could live together or whether they couldn’t bear the sight of each other. This seems a reasonable way to operate because the individuals are given some choice. 

Some of us in the West have the habit of choosing the ‘wrong’ person.  We find someone who appeals to us physically and emotionally but who turns out to be unreliable and generally unsatisfactory.  We are free to repeat this pattern until or unless we become wiser.  Arranged marriages might still encounter this problem but with unromantic parents viewing likely spouses, it is less likely to happen. 

In romantic marriage, the issue of differences in background between the couple can bring possible causes of discontent and argument to the marriage unless they have been discussed and thought about carefully beforehand. 

As there are few people who would not like a satisfactory life partner, arranged marriages are a reasonably safe way of attaining this aim.  The counter argument is that in some patriarchal societies the girls are married far too young to older men; they are seen as chattels to be bought and sold. In some societies the education of girls is neglected because this will happen and the girls will probably die in childbirth anyway because they are really too young and living in less than hygienic conditions for safe childbirth. 

Arranged marriages can work if the families bring in the young people involved to express their preferences and their ideas are listened to.  The offspring are more likely to be married to someone who has similar ideas about what marriage is about so avoiding the clashes of concepts about marriage.   Arranged marriages take away the likelihood of having a romantic liaison with their partner although a fondness, even love, can develop through time.