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In The Giver, what is the Matching of spouses? Do you think this is a good or bad idea? explain

In the community of the novel, spouses are matched based on compatibility.  The committee of elders makes the matches and assigns the marriages.  In this society, it makes sense; in order to preserve the peace and order in the community, it is important to match couples based on compatible traits so that harmony at home will be ensured. 

It is important to remember that all sexual desire has been removed from this society by the pills that the citizens take when they begin to feel "the stirrings."  As such, ideas of attraction or romance do not factor into the marriage relationships.  While the matching of partners may seem clinical or strange for us, in their society it is all a function of the preservation of their way of life.

Interestingly enough, some cultures actually do this, with arranged marriages and all. And many seem to think that match-making works. If you think about it, many people in the US do online dating and that is a very similar idea, where people are matched by their compatibility based on the information on their online profiles. 

In Jonas' community, the couple only needs to get along, as there is no love involved at all. It's almost as if they are just picking a roommate -- they have to be able to live together and function as a "family unit."