ABSTRACT. This paper examines, from both an evolutionary and sociocultural perspective, gender differences in 276 printed personal advertisements in Sunday Vanguard, a leading and widely circulating newspaper in Nigeria. A content analysis of the advertisements confirmed some gender differences noted in the personal advertisements literature, including more women offering younger ages and seeking older men and more men offering older ages and seeking younger women. It confirmed the view that more men offer and more women seek place of residence. The study disconfirmed the view that women offer physical attractiveness in exchange for financial security. Rather, the study showed that more women than men now offer and seek financial security. In addition, more men than women seek sugar mummy/ daddy relations because they provide both financial security and maternal care. The paper provides evidence of possible female gender exclusive personal qualities, and indicates that this is an area, among others, in which further research is desirable. Overall, the paper reveals new insights arising from examining the genre of printed personal advertisements in a cultural setting such as Nigeria.

Keywords: gender differences; gender stereotypes; Nigeria; printed personal advertisements

How to cite: Arua, Arua Eke (2017). “Gender Differences in Printed Personal Advertisements in Nigeria,” Journal of Research in Gender Studies 7(2): 165–185.

Received 2 August 2017 • Received in revised form 8 October 2017
Accepted 9 October 2017 • Available online 28 October 2017

doi:10.22381/JRGS7220179