Traditional Gender Roles in Serbian and Spanish Proverbs on Marriage

Abstract

The focus of this paper is a comparative sociolinguistic analysis of Serbian and Spanish proverbs on marriage. Proverbs have been analysed bearing in mind that they reflect the social and cultural background of people who use them (or did so in the past), containing information on the ways of thinking and behaving in a certain community. Both Serbian and Spanish societies and cultures historically belong to the patriarchal cultural model based on a hierarchical male-female social organisation. In order to find out how this patriarchal cultural model is reflected in Serbian and Spanish proverbs, we have selected and analysed those proverbs that show desirable qualities and virtues women should possess (or had to in the past) in order to get married, as well as the roles of male family members in choosing an adequate wife or husband for their children. The analysis indicates women were restricted to a private domain and supposed to stay at home and take care of their family. They had to be hardworking, generous and obedient if looking for a husband. They also had to offer a dowry. Both Serbian and Spanish proverbs, being created and used in the past, illustrate the social background of these communities and confirm dominant male social roles and subordinated male-dependent female roles. This paper is written with the aim of raising an awareness of a cultural and linguistic heritage in prov-erbs and sayings because these examples of popular wisdom on marriage are a way of legitimising and maintaining the hierarchy of power when it comes to gender roles.