Marriage websites

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Marriage websites or online matrimonial sites are a variation of the normal dating sites, with a focus on those wanting marriage rather than simply dating. Typically, matrimonial sites are used by people who prefer arranged marriage over love marriage.

Matrimonial sites register users, after which they are able to upload their profile onto a searchable database maintained by the website. Those users looking to find suitors can search the database with customised searches that typically include nationality, age, gender, availability of photograph and often religion, geographic location and caste (mainly for websites based in India).

1 In India
2 Female membership
3 References
4 See also
5 Further reading

[edit] In India

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India has always been rooted in tradition and religious beliefs. A traditional marriage in India depends heavily on tying partners based on certain important characteristics (religion, caste, class, social status, etc.) than a romanticized tying of partners, as is common in much of the Western world. Arranged marriages and marriages within the family has been the usual norm in Indian families. Love marriages are much less common, although this has been drastically changing over the years. The essential marriage broker is a volunteer (person who does introduction between brides and grooms family without any monetary consideration) or a professional who used to be involved in most arranged marriages. In the last decade the print matrimonials gained an upper hand. With the internet boom in India, the picture of a marriage broker with a huge diary with tucked in photographs is slowly fazed, giving way to a gamut of online matrimonial sites.

Indian marriage requirements can in many cases be so specific in religion, caste, language, and location needed that the Internet suits many potential Indian husbands and wives perfectly. A service provider may use registration profiles to filter preferences and may run several different portals to cater for needs like different languages.^[1]

The writer is likely a young person lacking the history of arranged Indian marriages. The key catalysts in a marriage are the priests/brahman and the barber/Kshudra. The Brahman formalizes the union, but the Skhudra finds all the inside information about the prospective bride and groom to help determine a good match. These were not just willing volunteers, they were an integral part of the lives of the families and their infrastructure.

[edit] Female membership

The typical woman will begin joining matrimonial sites as soon as she graduates college around the age of 23. Female membership at these sites steadily increase from 18 through 26 years of age. At age 27, there is a considerable drop-off in membership as most women seek to get married by then. Women over 40 make up less than 3% of the enrollment.^{[citation needed]}