Women in the Everyday Life Theme 2: Relationships (Marriages)

Stereotypes When it comes to the issue of marriages, there are plenty of stereotypes that characterize both cultures To be clear, both regions are diverse, representing a mixed array of cultures BUT we are choosing to just focus on general characteristics

Stereotypes: Middle Eastern Culture Forced/Arranged Marriages Child Marriages Under-aged Marriages

Stereotypes: European Culture Women have complete autonomy in choosing who they marry

Reality Stereotypes exist because they may be true in some BUT not ALL cases What is common across cultures is that in the search for relationships, what women are looking for are love and companionship We should go beyond stereotypes and understand that are are MANY reasons that affect the choices that women make

Singapore Described as the most Western Asian city

Strong influences of Eastern and Western values Existence of liberals and conservatives who face little opposition in living their lives according to their values, when it comes to marriages The case of Singapore is an illustration of the fact that there are many factors that affect the way in which women lead their lives