Stereotypical Gender Differences in Matrimonial Choices: A Study of Marriage Bureau Websites in Pakistan

A Study of Marriage Bureau Websites in Pakistan

Abstract

This study examines stereotypical language expressions used in
the matrimonial discourse in the advertisements of marriage
bureau websites in Pakistan. A corpus-based analysis of language
attitudes was carried out on data taken from a range of marriage bureau
web pages. Language patterns were analyzed using the Wordsmith
concordance to reveal patterns of overtly-expressed language attitudes. It
discusses how differently but stereotypically the adjectives and nouns
are selected by both the genders for their self-discourse as well as for
choosing their desired spouses. This study is also based on theoretical
considerations of gender differences in language use and it helps in
understanding the trends in matrimonial discourse in Pakistani cultural
context.