Reasons why Indian marriages suffer due to families

In India, marrying a person means marrying their entire family. You don’t just tie bonds with your spouse but every member of their family. And this can get quite frustrating as you not only have to consider their needs all the time but you also have to entertain them, at the expense of your individual space and time. You are left attending to all the demands of the family that leaves you no time for yourself. To elaborately elucidate, here are some reasons why Indian marriages suffer due to families.

Even if you and your spouse wish to get married in a certain way, both your families will clash in regards to their individual opinions of how and where the wedding will commence. A wedding is one of the most important events in a couple’s life and their wants, wishes and decisions should be prioritised.

Even after the wedding, people from both families keep interfering in how the newlyweds cook, eat or even sleep! Along with preconceived ideas about daughters-in-law being dutiful of household chores, these women are spared no remorse while doing household chores and also working.

When you finally marry in an Indian family, be prepared to forget all about personal space. You will have questions like, “when are you planning for a baby?” or “are you guys facing problems in your marriage?” coming at you. These can sound very intrusive, especially when these sensitive matters are only for discussions between you and your spouse, not the whole family.

Even if you have a separate bank account or other financial investments made from your paternal home, you are expected to share them with your spouse and their whole family. Your in-laws expect you to keep them updated with every detail in your finances. Sometimes, if the woman earns more than her husband, she is even susceptible to hearing taunts and grunts from her husband’s family.

You are faced with a number of expectations when it comes to marrying in an Indian household. You are expected to follow your in-laws’ expectations, even if it means going against your own needs and wants. You can't even show disapproval because you will be looked down upon for not adhering to elders’ wants. Living under such harsh expectations robs a marriage of its happiness and space.