Exploring Wedding Extravagance and Gender Subtleties: A Case Study of a Punjabi Village

Abstract

The present study examines the patterns of extravagance and the exhibitionist display on marriages in rural Punjab, Pakistan. While in Pakistani context there is an extensive literature available on late marriages, dowry system and divorce there is hardly any literature found on the topic related to the extravagance and exhibitionist display practiced on marriages by people, their reasons and effects on the society. The main aim of the researchers for the present study has been to investigate those social meanings which the rural people attach to extravagance and how those meanings vary in context of gender. In order to explore the reasons in detail, the researchers have used qualitative research methods including 12 in-depth interviews and 6 focused group discussions for the present study. The findings of the present study suggest that there are a number of different reasons behind the extravagant behavior of rural people on weddings. The reasons on extravagance on weddings are explicitly varied on the basis of gender differences; such as the expense of a daughter`s wedding feast is different from the expense of a son`s wedding feast. The findings of present research suggest that most of these reasons include strong customs, social pressure of the people and the maintenance of one`s social status.