THE CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF EXCHANGE MARRIAGE IN RURAL AREAS OF DISTRICT FAISALABAD: A SOCIOLOGICAL STUDY

A form of bride exchange marriage known as Watta-Satta, is a customary wedding mainly practiced in rural areas of Pakistan. According to this norm, two families exchange brides during the matrimonial ceremony. Two girls get married as the positive aspect of this system, but the negative side is that if one couple faces difficulties or breaks up, it may badly upset the other couple as well. This crafts vast trauma and worst consequences for the entire family, including parents and children. To know this arrangement, the study was completely focused on surveying married women from rural areas in Faisalabad district, however,a multi-sampling technique was used in this research, and a total of 300 questionnaires were collected. The data was examined through Chi-square and Gamma tests to define relationships and validate the findings. This study was intended to understand the durable practice of Watta-Satta in village areas of Pakistan, where giving a daughter and receiving the same in return are linked with mutual risks. The findings of this study strongly support this viewpoint. The importance of our findings underlined that how informal enforcement mechanisms can compensate for weak legal systems and limited pledges in certain contexts. Promoting education opportunities for children may increase awareness about the negative effects of give-and-take marriages. Only through productive, healthy, and effective social change can transform this societal norm surrounding exchange marriages. The study findings also recommended that if an exchange marriage involves mutual agreement and each woman receives her Mehar (a mandatory payment from the groom) without any exchange conditions or subsequent marriages, then such a marriage is permitted and legal in Islam.