Gendered Dimensions of Marital Celebrations: A Comparative Analysis of Women's and Men's Experiences and Perceptions

Abstract

This research presents an affluent analysis of the gendered dynamics of marriage celebrations and how women and men build differently the cultural, symbolic, and social features of marriage. Based on qualitative comparative research employing data from focus group discussions and in-depth interviews, this study discovers women positioned at the symbolic centre of marriage rituals. Their increased public visibility as dress, ritual practice, and performative acts is a necessary means of social recognition and identity validation. Men, by contrast, adopt primarily a muted, matter-of-fact option, stipulating marriage in terms of economic duty and stable long-term availability as opposed to symbolic exhibition. Findings account for how wedding festivals are a powerful location for confirming classic gender roles: women's celebratory centrality simultaneously confirms their social status and rehearses patriarchal obligation, while men's quiet presence announces persistent cultural scripts of masculinity concerning provision and dominance. This research adds to more general arguments in the academy around gender, identity, and cultural performance because it shows how celebration cultures are both empowering and limiting spaces. The paper concludes by advocating for more inclusive marital practices that balance symbolic visibility with shared responsibility and recommends further cross-cultural research to explore the evolution of marital rituals in the context of shifting global gender norms.