Netflix continues its foray into the wedding world and has just launched a new show delving into India’s extravagant multi-billion dollar wedding industry.

The Big Day follows six engaged couples as they plan their perfect day, showing readers what it takes to pull off a truly lavish Indian wedding with no expenses spared. Of course, readers will also learn more about Indian culture and tradition, and fall in love with the couples.

“A dash of crazy and an overdose of love, that’s what all shaadis are meant to be, right? The Big Day takes a deep dive into the multibillion-dollar Indian wedding industry, through six extravagant Indian weddings, across the globe. It takes us on an insider’s journey, giving us a glimpse into what goes behind crafting every happily ever after. Catch the madness unfold in The Big Day, on 14th February, only on Netflix,” the streaming service writes.

The first three episodes of Collection 1 premiered on Valentine’s Day, February 14, and another collection is expected soon.

Watch the trailer here:

The show comes off the success of shows like Love is Blind, Indian Matchmaking and Say ‘I Do’, all of which premiered in 2020 and were internationally lauded.

Picture: Screenshot from video

China has launched a matchmaking campaign to encourage its younger residents to marry and procreate. This comes after both marriage and birth rates have continued to dip as a result of the old one-child policy.

The Chinese government has grown increasingly concerned by data revealing lower marriage rates over the years. Data by China’s National Bureau of Statistics shows that between 2013 to 2019, the number of first-time marriages in China dropped by 41%, from 23.8-million to 13.9-million. The country’s marriage rate plummeted to 6.6 per 1,000 people in 2019, the lowest drop China has experienced in 14 years.

This decline is down to a number of reasons, although many sociologists focus on the decades of policies aimed at controlling the population, like the one-child policy, which meant that there are fewer young people in China that can actually get married.

Despite this policy being dropped in 2016, birth rates are still lower than usual. A preference for sons has also resulted in a skewed sex ratio at birth, especially in rural areas. More men than women mean that heterosexual men will struggle to find suitable brides.

This marriage decline may severely distress economic and social stability in the country, as marriage and reproduction are so closely related.

As a result, the country’s Communist Youth League will be hosting mass blind dating events to bring singletons together in the hopes they may find their life partners.

Picture: Pexels

The Chinese government is growing increasingly worried as statistics reveal that fewer Chinese millennials are opting to tie the knot.

Data by China’s National Bureau of Statistics shows that between 2013 to 2019, the number of first-time marriages in China dropped by 41%, from 23.8-million to 13.9-million. The country’s marriage rate plummeted to 6.6 per 1,000 people in 2019, the lowest drop China has experienced in 14 years.

This decline is down to a number of reasons, although many sociologists focus on the decades of policies aimed at controlling the population, like the one-child policy, which meant that there are fewer young people in China that can actually get married.

Despite this policy being dropped in 2016, birth rates are still lower than usual. A preference for sons has also resulted in a skewed sex ratio at birth, especially in rural areas. More men than women mean that heterosexual men will struggle to find suitable brides.

Millennial women are also more educated and economically dependent than their elders, making marriage as a means of survival less necessary.

The Chinese government introduced a nine-year compulsory education program in the 1990s and expanded higher education to boost university enrollments in the late 90s. This has resulted in women outnumbering men in higher education programs.

As a result, many Chinese millennials view marriage as a personal choice rather than an obligation.

“With increased education, women gained economic independence, so marriage is no longer a necessity for women as it was in the past,”  Wei-Jun Jean Yeung, a sociologist at the National University of Singapore told CNN. “Women now want to pursue self-development and a career for themselves before they get married.”

The increased social and economic status of women has also made it harder for them to find partners of equal or higher stature, in accordance with Chinese tradition of ‘marrying up’.

While there have been many advances in education, cultural and gender norms still largely remain in China, which affects a woman’s role in marriage.

“The whole package of marriage is too hard. It’s not just marrying someone, it’s to marry the in-laws, take care of children — there are a lot of responsibilities that come with marriage,” Yeung said.

Women are also more hesitant to marry and start families as they are concerned with juggling a career and family life with all its demands.

This marriage decline may severely distress economic and social stability in the country, as marriage and reproduction are so closely related. As a result, the Chinese government is trying to mitigate a potential population crisis by introducing policies like the two-child policy, extended maternity leave and cash subsidies for those with two kids, and propaganda campaigns aimed at encouraging couples to have more children, reports CNN.

Picture: Pexels