FRAGL 17: Kontrastive Untersuchung indischer und deutscher Heiratsanzeigen
Vaith, Nina
Abstract
This paper analyzes the display of gender relations and stereotypes in Indian and German marriage and contact advertisements. Self-presentations of men and women and the respective portrayals of the ideal partner (re)construct – at least to a certain extent – societal gender and family oriented values. By comparing Indian and German marriage and contact advertisements, I will outline differences and similarities between Indian and German gender concepts and genre conventions. In Germany, these advertisements are normally placed under the rubric “Partnersuche” and are seldomly announced as “Heiratsanzeigen”. This points to a change that has taken place in the German society during recent decades. In the Indian society instead especially higher social strata stick to more traditional gender norms and heterosexual relations. But although the German society advocates a rather flexible understanding of life styles and partner choices, there is no great difference to Indian gender stereotypes when it comes to certain features of German marriage advertisements: men highlight their social status (profession/income), women their physical appearance. I will analyze several features of the genre. For Germany I differentiate between “Heiratsanzeige” and “Kontaktanzeige.”