A century later expectations of marriage remain largely unchanged

Marriage advertisements reveal how people present themselves and what they expect from prospective spouses, while also offering insights into the social values associated with marriage. A study by Prof. Başak Gezmen, Head of the Department of New Media and Communication at Istanbul Medipol University School of Communication, and Research Assistant Sena Savcı, published in The History of the Family under the title “The public search for a spouse in Türkiye: İzdivaç advertisements in 1918 and marriage-oriented social media posts in 2025”, examined marriage advertisements published in the magazine İzdivaç in 1918 alongside marriage-oriented social media posts from 2025.

The research demonstrates that respectability, trust, and financial security remained important across the two groups of advertisements, separated by more than a century. While historical advertisements expressed these expectations through family reputation, occupation, and property ownership, contemporary posts placed greater emphasis on serious intentions toward marriage, trustworthiness, cultural compatibility, and financial preparedness.

As part of the study, 68 marriage advertisements from the magazine and 75 marriage-oriented posts from Facebook and Instagram were compared using qualitative content analysis. Focusing exclusively on written texts, the analysis was conducted across five main themes: morality and respectability, physical appearance and health, financial security, cultural values, and the roles expected of women and men in marriage.

IN 1918, PEOPLE PAID PER WORD TO SEARCH FOR A SPOUSE 
İzdivaç was not a publication devoted exclusively to marriage advertisements. The magazine, which aimed to facilitate marriage, also featured articles on family life, health, and social issues.

Published in Istanbul every other Thursday between June 6 and October 31, 1918, each issue of the magazine was sold for 5 kuruş. Marriage advertisements cost 40 para per word, with payment required in advance. The advertisements appeared on supplementary pages and inside covers alongside other commercial advertisements.

These characteristics of the publication are important for understanding which segments of society were represented in the historical advertisements. Placing an advertisement required access to the magazine, the financial means to pay the advertising fee, and the ability to use a printed communication medium published in Ottoman Turkish. Consequently, the texts did not represent the spouse-seeking practices of all segments of society at the time.

FROM FAMILY REPUTATION TO SERIOUS INTENTIONS TOWARD MARRIAGE
Morality, respectability, and the effort to present the search for a spouse as socially acceptable were prominent in both groups of advertisements.

In the 1918 advertisements, family background was an important element of self-presentation. One male advertiser described himself as a promising 24-year-old young man from a reputable family. Another advertisement emphasized that the advertiser's family was among Istanbul's long-established and respected families.

In these descriptions, family background served not merely as personal information but also as evidence that the advertiser was a trustworthy and suitable marriage candidate. Explicit requirements concerning a prospective wife's virginity in some advertisements placed by men illustrated how expectations of women were associated with morality and family reputation.

In the 2025 posts, however, the emphasis shifted toward explicitly communicating serious intentions toward marriage. Expressions referring to seeking a serious marriage, wishing to establish a family, and having no interest in casual relationships formed part of how individuals presented themselves. Honesty, sincerity, and trustworthiness were also among the qualities sought.

According to the researchers, this language reflects an effort to reduce uncertainty about the intentions of unfamiliar people encountered online. While trust in historical advertisements was established through family reputation and social standing, social media posts relied more heavily on assurances concerning an individual's intentions and behavior.

References to morality and respectability were identified in 52 of the 68 advertisements from 1918 and all 75 posts from 2025. However, the fact that contemporary posts were selected on the condition that they explicitly expressed an intention to marry is an important consideration when interpreting this finding.

FINANCIAL SECURITY APPEARS IN BOTH GROUPS OF ADVERTISEMENTS 
References to economic circumstances appeared in 44 historical advertisements and 32 social media posts. Occupation, income, and property were used both to introduce the advertiser and to describe expectations of a prospective spouse.

In the İzdivaç advertisements, occupations, military ranks, income, inheritance, and family wealth could be stated directly. One male advertiser highlighted his property holdings and assets in different regions, while a 33-year-old military officer expressed his desire to marry into a wealthy family.

Women's advertisements also included references to financial circumstances. One woman stated that she was financially independent and sought a husband who would demonstrate commitment and be a good father. In this example, economic circumstances were presented alongside expectations concerning family life and children.

Another notable example involved a young civil servant whose parents were deceased. He expressed his willingness to marry and live in his wife's family home as an içgüveyi, a husband who moves into his wife's family household. In the same advertisement, he also mentioned that he expected to inherit land in the future. The study interprets this example as illustrating how economic needs and social expectations could come together within a single text.

In the 2025 posts, financial security was more commonly expressed through employment, home and car ownership, and financial readiness for marriage. One woman stated that she intended to stop working after marriage and was looking for a financially secure man. Another post expressed the expectation that a prospective spouse should be ready for marriage both financially and emotionally.

EXPECTATIONS CONCERNING PHYSICAL APPEARANCE AND HEALTH ARE EXPRESSED DIFFERENTLY 
References to age, appearance, physical characteristics, and health appeared in 39 historical advertisements and 46 social media posts.

In one advertisement from 1918, a 55-year-old man who had previously been married twice explained that his former wives had been physically frail and frequently ill. He therefore sought a healthy and cheerful woman. In this case, preferences concerning physical characteristics were associated not only with standards of beauty but also with health and the prospect of sharing a life together.

However, not all advertisements approached physical appearance in the same way. One woman, who stated that she had a ten-year-old daughter, sought a man who would not judge her solely on physical beauty and who desired a peaceful and respectful life. The researchers note that this example also expresses a desire to resist the evaluation of women primarily on the basis of their appearance.

In the 2025 posts, information such as age, height, and weight was generally presented in the form of a brief personal profile. Particularly in posts made on behalf of men, these measurements were among the details provided to introduce the individual before explaining their intentions toward marriage.

The study does not interpret this difference as evidence that physical appearance has become more important today. Rather, the findings indicate that expectations concerning the body were present in both groups but were communicated in different ways.

FROM PIANO TO POETRY TO FAMILY VALUES AND CULTURAL COMPATIBILITY 
Cultural expectations were among the notable details found in the advertisements. In the İzdivaç texts, education, music, literature, foreign languages, and alafranga characteristics, referring to Western-style lifestyles and tastes, were among the qualities sought in a prospective spouse.

One advertiser expressed a desire to listen to music at home and expected his future wife to play the piano or another musical instrument well. Another sought a spouse who was interested in poetry, followed fashion, and was familiar with a Western-style lifestyle. An advertisement placed on behalf of a woman also emphasized familiarity with literature, music, poetry, and the performing arts.

The researchers point out that these characteristics carried meanings beyond personal hobbies. In the advertisements, such interests and skills were also used to indicate a prospective spouse's suitability for a particular family lifestyle and social environment.

In the 2025 posts, religious practices, commitment to family, and cultural compatibility were more prominent. Qualities such as performing daily prayers, abstaining from smoking and alcohol, and being raised with strong family values appeared among the stated criteria for selecting a spouse. One post sought a man without tattoos who fulfilled his religious obligations, was dedicated to his work, and had been raised with Anatolian cultural values.

These examples are not interpreted as evidence of a transformation across Turkish society as a whole. Instead, the comparison illustrates the characteristics through which cultural compatibility was expressed in the two selected groups of advertisements.

EXPECTED ROLES OF WOMEN AND MEN ARE REFLECTED IN THE TEXTS 
References to the roles expected of women and men in marriage were identified in 49 historical advertisements and 57 social media posts.

In the 1918 advertisements, women's knowledge of household duties, cleanliness, elegance, beauty, and moral qualities were frequently emphasized. Some women also presented themselves as capable of managing a household effectively. Men's self-descriptions, meanwhile, placed greater emphasis on occupation, military rank, family background, property, and the ability to provide financial support.

Although explicit expectations concerning household duties appeared less frequently in the 2025 posts, gender-based expectations remained present. Posts made on behalf of women generally sought men who were stable, responsible, and financially prepared for marriage. Posts made on behalf of men emphasized women's trustworthiness, moral qualities, sincerity, and serious intentions toward marriage.

Contemporary texts also placed importance on emotional responsibility and readiness for a relationship. As a result, expectations concerning marital roles were expressed not only through financial provision and household responsibilities but also through the quality of the relationship the couple hoped to establish.

ADVERTISEMENTS REVEAL THE SEARCH FOR A SPOUSE, NOT THE OUTCOMES OF MARRIAGES 
One of the study's important limitations is that it compares only two groups of texts from 1918 and 2025. Because data from the intervening years were not included, the research does not provide a continuous account of how marriage expectations changed over the course of a century.

The advertisements examined also do not represent how society as a whole selects marriage partners. The historical texts reflect individuals who could access and afford advertisements in a paid print publication, while the social media posts represent users who chose to make their search for a spouse public. Introductions arranged through families, private messages, closed groups, and other methods of finding a partner fall outside the scope of the research.

Furthermore, the texts do not reveal whom the advertisers eventually married or whether their stated expectations were fulfilled during the course of marriage. Instead, the analysis focuses on how individuals wished to present themselves and the conditions they communicated to prospective spouses.

The study by Gezmen and Savcı contributes to the literature on family history by examining marriage advertisements as sources that reveal how desired characteristics in prospective spouses and suitability for marriage are publicly communicated. It also contributes to communication history by comparing different forms of marriage-oriented self-presentation, from print publications to digital platforms.

The research demonstrates that respectability, trust, and financial security were expressed in different ways across the two groups of texts, highlighting the importance of interpreting the language of spouse-seeking within the historical context and communication environment in which the advertisements appeared.