Marrying Rich

Marrying rich was considered completely normal in our society just a few decades ago, because people wanted to secure their family's survival, climb the social ladder and finally escape poverty. In the Western world, however, a shift has taken place. In other parts of the world, in other cultures, the goal of marrying rich still sometimes applies.
How this has played out historically and today, and what causes it, is discussed below.

Money instead of love?

For many centuries it was completely normal for the poor to try to climb the social ladder. Mostly, though, in the end the rich stayed among themselves and the poor among themselves. But sometimes women from the middle class managed to rise into the nobility and thereby secure a better living situation for themselves, their family and their descendants. Love as we know it, meaning affection, romance and feelings, has only been the main reason couples marry for a few decades. But even today, marrying rich out of hardship is commonplace. For example in Eastern Europe at so-called bride markets among discriminated ethnic groups. The wealth the people there have is enormous from the point of view of the poor, from our point of view rather relative. Even if marrying rich sounds questionable, it can help some people in hardship. Even if relationships of dependency continue to exist.

Marrying rich even though you're wealthy yourself? A case study

The wedding of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry in early summer 2018 is remembered not only because of the incredible media interest. Nor necessarily because a commoner married into the British royal family. It is remembered especially because Meghan Markle was already a very successful and wealthy actress in the USA before marrying Prince Harry. So a rich person married a rich person and still gained much more. Because Meghan Markle benefits above all from her new fame, from her reach, which nowadays is almost equivalent to money. The wedding was of course not arranged, but happened out of love. Still, it brings added value for Meghan Markle.

Other cultures, other customs
Marrying rich is, as already mentioned, partly completely normal in other cultures. This is almost always justified by the fact that the survival of one's own family can be secured. There are questionable marriages that come about through the parents' choice. But that is the culture and part of the tradition of a given people. Through globalization and independence, which is strengthened by the internet, romantic love is increasingly understood as the only true love. For families with many children, where the children represent the only hope for a future, marrying rich mostly remains one of the most popular options.