Economics Seminar - "Gender Differences in Spousal Search: Evidence from Historic Marriage Ads"

I examine search differences by gender in marriage advertisements placed over two decades in Pakistan. Men in the ads seek physical features in partners and emphasize their occupations, while women seek stable partner occupations and emphasize their looks. Women cast a wide net in search and decrease their demands rapidly with age compared to men. Surprisingly, education does not mitigate this age constraint for women. Using Labor Force Survey data and a simple framework, I provide suggestive evidence that actual matches in this context are closer to men’s desires in the ads than to women’s desires.