Chosen randomly via lottery - Normalized & reluctantly accepted - Equal freedoms

Chosen randomly via lottery:

In this world, the traditional form of dating, as a concept, was abandoned long… long ago. Instead of spending time looking for a romantic partner you “like”, your partner is always simply chosen for you. Romantic partners are chosen in a number of different ways throughout the world.

In most English-speaking countries, it is customary for your romantic partner to be chosen for you during your school years. Schools hold a grand randomized lottery where male and female students pull names out of a box until all the students are paired off evenly with one another.

Once your romantic partner is chosen for you, there is no way to change who you have been given and they are your only option for marriage and procreation. You may not “break up” with them. Once assigned, they are forever your romantic partner.

Normalized & reluctantly accepted:

The randomized lottery system is seen as the only sensible way to decide romantic relationships, with “dating” and “picking a partner for yourself” being viewed as terribly silly practices of a bygone era.

Even in cases where two people who dislike one another are paired up, they will still reluctantly understand the importance of the lottery system and ultimately accept the outcome as necessary and understandable.

Equal freedoms:

A factor in relationships that is unchanged in this alternate world, is that both partners have equal freedoms and power within the relationship. Neither partner is in charge of the other. However, both partners are ultimately unable to end the relationship and are to exclusively date one another.