India is one of the world's oldest civilizations. It is a country of rich cultural, historical, and spiritual customs. The essence of religion prescribes a form of worship and guides daily conduct. Hinduism is the largest sector of religion believed by the East Indian culture; other branches are Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, and Zoroastrian (Srivastava 1995). The general basis of Hinduism practices is implemented throughout most of the East Indian people. One of the most significant beliefs, exercised within the Hindu religion, is marital customs. Arranged marriages, religious affiliation, bestowing of the dowry, the caste and the extended family system are all strongly imposed upon Hindu religious couples upon and preceding marriage.
             The Indian family system, which is better known as the extended family system has always been an important aspect of the East Indian culture. The extended family system pertains to the husband's family, where the newlywed couple will reside and contribute to the family's livelihood (Srivastava 1995). Despite the many social, cultural, and technological changes within India, the extended family system still continues to prevail in modern India. The males within the family are seen as the higher achy and protrude their dominance and control over all financial and economical needs (Segal 1991). The women constantly maintain the household chores, such as: taking care of the children and the elderly, socializing, communicating, and instilling cultural values upon the children (Segal 1991). The East Indian culture is more shifted toward the bearing of male children, which are greatly desired and preferred over female children (Segal 1991). Indian culture gives much importance to family relationship. The parents take care of their children, and the children obey their parents, thus, in turn, the parents find a suitable spouse(s) for their children from appropriate families (Srivastava 1995). The idea behind...