I, first of all, want to say that it is obvious that the Duggar family doesn't have Arranged Marriages, but some people are just confused about the situation online. You see, the Duggar family does not take part in arranged marriages, but, instead, they follow the practice of courting someone through a courtship. It is worth mentioning that this isn’t the first time this family has gotten themselves into controversy this month, as a few days ago, Jill Duggar’s parenting skills had been criticized online. You can continue to read below to find out what Jim Bob had to say about these arranged marriage rumors.
Most of the details relayed in this article were reported by the website Romper.
What is the difference between courtships and arranged marriages?
The main difference between courtships and arranged marriages is the fact that when you are courting someone, both parties have to agree to the courtship. However, with arranged marriages, the pair has to get married whether they like each other or not. When Jim Bob Duggar was asked by "Today" about what courting was, he described it as: “Dating with a purpose.” Courting is very different than traditional dating, as this controversial practice includes a lot of supervision, chaperoned dates, and very limited physical touching. The courting process in the Duggar family has been very successful for them, as, so far, it has resulted in multiple marriages for the family.
Jim-Bob is very strict with the young men that want to begin a courtship with his daughters. For example, in an interview for “Counting On,” Jeremy Vuolo said that he had to fill out a 50-page questionnaire just so he could have permission to court Jinger Duggar. Jessa Duggar was asked about the survey itself by the Daily Mail and she said it was “pretty thorough.” She also revealed that the questionnaire has numerous sections with one of them being based on their finances.
When Jim-Bob was accused online of having arranged marriages for his children, he spoke back to his critics. This is what he had to say to "People:" “I do not choose who my children marry. Over the years, I have suggested guys to my daughters.” As you can tell from that, Jim-Bob will only suggest men to his daughters, but he has to have their permission before he can allow a courtship.
What are the Duggar family up to now?
The Duggar family are always in the news and it is usually for all of the wrong reasons. For example, Jill Duggar’s husband was just recently fired from the show after he made transphobic remarks towards TLC star Jazz Jennings. You can catch up with this family on their reality television show “Counting On” or you can follow them on their social media accounts.