New Delhi, June 26 -- While arranged marriages remain the norm in India, they are evolving into a system of semi-arranged marriages giving women more freedom and making them less vulnerable to domestic violence, according to a UN report. The report, "Progress of World's Women, 2019-20: Families in a Changing World", released on Tuesday, however, blamed economic liberalisation in India for the spread of the dowry practice to more communities and the celebration of pricey, ostentatious weddings.
The report, which dealt with several aspects of marriage, said, "The practice of arranged marriages remains commonplace", but, "the practice, however, has evolved over time and has been partially replaced by semi-arranged marriages, particularly in u...