Functionalist Perspective: Focuses on how lavender marriages contribute to social stability, the maintenance of social roles, and the reinforcement of societal norms and values.
Conflict Perspective: Emphasizes the power dynamics, social inequality, and resistance involved in lavender marriages, highlighting the ways these marriages reinforce and challenge dominant ideologies.
Feminist perspectives: on lavender marriages focus on how these arrangements reinforce traditional gender norms and patriarchal control, the intersectionality of oppression, the complexities of women’s agency, the psychological impact on individuals, and the use of lavender marriages as strategies of resistance and survival.
Social key factors behind the rise of lavender marriages
1.Societal pressure and family expectations - high value on marriage, expecting individual to marry and have children, family honour.
2.Stigna and discrimination - after decriminalisation of homosexuality in 2018, remains significant stigma against LGBTQ, this societal bias can lead people to hide their sexual orientation through a heterosexual marriage.
3.Arranged marriages - it remains strong in india, LGBTQ individuals difficult to refuse these arrangements without revealing thier sexual orientation, leading them to enter lavender marriages.
4.Religious beliefs - many religious practices in india have conservative views in sexuality, adherence to religious norms can presume LGBTQ individuals to marry heterosexually.
5.Patriarchal society - Indian society is strick gender roles and expectations, both to marry and uphold traditional family structure.
6.Urban v/s Rural divide - acceptance of LGBTQ individuals is higher in urban areas,
Societal impact of Lavender marriages..
1.It highlight the intersection of personal identity and societal expectations, illustrating the significant impact that social attitudes towards sexuality can have on individuals lives.
2.Reinforcement of Gender norms - it reinforced traditional gender roles and heteronormative expectations.
3.Identity crisis - invisibility it LGBTQ+ Issues, this lack of visibility slowed social progress and the phsh for rights and recognition.
4.LGBTQ+ movements - lavender Marriages suppressed the visibility and progress of the LGBTQ movement.
5.Cultural and social capital - while lavender marriages could enhance social capital by aligning with societal norms.
6.Social change - sacrifice made by individuals highlight the need for societal change.
Anthony Giddens on Modernity and Self-Identity: Giddens’ work on modernity and self-identity explores how individuals navigate identity in contemporary society. Lavender marriages reflect the negotiation of self-identity within modern social contexts, where traditional norms clash with emerging LGBTQ visibility and acceptance.
Radhika Chopra - individual in lavender marriages navigate dual identities - ( heterosexual marriage and truee sexual orientation ), this duality reflects the broader struggle within Indian society between tradition and modernity.
Pierre Bourdieu Social Capital - Bourdieu’s concept of social capital can be applied to understand how lavender marriages provide individuals with social benefits and networks that come with conforming to heterosexual norms, thus gaining social capital while hiding their true identity.
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