01 August 2014

India's Middle Class: Money, Marriage, Family

India's middle class is obsessed with two things: money and marriage. Why?

An industrial society (US, Europe, Japan) has welfare systems like social security, social welfare, etc. An agricultural society (like India) has no such systems. Because there is no social security, people must rely completely on their savings. Because there is no social welfare system, people must rely completely on their family (ie, wife/husband and children). Therefore people in agricultural societies are obsessed with money and marriage. Obsession with money and marriage is a feature of the agricultural mindset. People with a truly modern/industrial mindset are not obsessed with money and marriage.

As India industrialises and becomes an industrial society – and builds the systems of an industrial society, this obsession will reduce.