The Transformation of Love? Choice, Emotional Rationality and Wedding Gifts

Carter, Julia; Smith, Daniel R.

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-29256-0_4

Cited by 1 publication

(3 citation statements)

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“…Aside from specific contexts underwritten by ideologies or configurations of unilateral giving (e.g. certain romantic arrangements, and philanthropic giving: see Druta and Ronald, 2017; Elder-Vass, 2015; Härkönen, 2019), a great many of the social contexts of gifting (including weddings: see Carter and Smith, 2020; Trevisani, 2016) fall within the norms of giving, receiving and reciprocating. According to the basic Maussian premise, giving generates a constructive imbalance and indebtedness, that calls then for a symmetrising move of giving back, which in turn fuels the beginning of a new cycle of giving (Sherry, 1983).…”

Section: Theoretical Framework: Singlehood As a Site Of Unilateral Gi...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Based on a wide range of digitally mediated discourses on imbalanced gift exchange between ‘singles’ and ‘wedded’, this article calls attention to the link between marital status and patterns of gifting. This imbalance is embedded within entrenched social norms normalising the practice of the first gifting the second on auspicious occasions attached to marital and family-life choices (Carter and Smith, 2020) – but without a reciprocal norm of the second gifting back to the first. We find gift exchange to be a productive, and largely underexplored, theoretical prism through which to explore the marginalised status of singlehood.…”

Section: Introduction: and What If I Don’t?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As presented so bluntly in the episode of SaTC discussed above, the life paths of singles tend to be overlooked in significant ways, compared to those of their married counterparts (see, for example, DePaulo, 2006; Lahad, 2014; Simpson, 2006; Taylor, 2011). While weddings, as an ‘ever evolving social ritual’ (Carter and Smith, 2020: 57) retain rich symbolism, singles generally lack rites of passage for recognising and celebrating auspicious occasions in their adulthood trajectory (Lahad and Kravel-Tovi, 2020). Single adults simply cannot enjoy the benefits (either material or symbolic) of being worthy receivers.…”

Section: Introduction: and What If I Don’t?mentioning

confidence: 99%

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It Is My Turn Now: How and Why ‘Single’ Women Complain about Non-Reciprocal Gift-Giving

Kravel-Tovi

Lahad

2021

Sociology

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This article employs the prism of gift-exchange to analyse the marginalised status of singles within social relations. We trace an emerging critique voiced by single women, who challenge the unilateral etiquette of gifting marital and family-making celebrations. While dominant social norms normalise gift-giving at weddings and subsequent family-related occasions, there are no commensurable opportunities for singles to receive back their accumulative investments in the life events of others. Drawing on various online sources, we explore the discursive articulations through which single women highlight the unfairness that underpins their position as constant givers. We show how single women manage the social risks that such public complaints entail, and how they claim to be worthy receivers themselves. This article offers singlehood as a valuable case study for engaging with broader questions concerning reciprocity – specifically, what happens when reciprocal gifting is not an established norm within ostensibly reciprocal social relations.

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