‘This thing is ridiculous’: Tweet highlights how Jeevansathi.com has a caste filter

Matrimonial platforms in India have long been criticised for enabling caste endogamy and elitism.

Listen to this article

00:00

1x 1.5x 1.8x

It is not uncommon for matrimonial ads and platforms in India to mention less-than-subtle preferences for potential matches from the same caste and class background.

Now a post on X has highlighted how one of the most popular matrimonial websites in India, Jeevansaathi.com, promotes this by having a ‘filter’ that can help one ‘browse’ the profiles by metrics such as ‘caste’ and ‘college’.

On Wednesday, Prudy Ray, an X user shared a screenshot of this special browsing feature and wrote, “Saw the @Jeevansathi_com ad on YouTube. Went to check their website. Of course, you can filter profiles by caste. If this feature didn’t exist, most upper / oppressor castes won’t even go to the website. Most marriages in India promote casteism, endogamy, patriarchy at the expense of women.”

Saw the @Jeevansathi_com ad on YouTube. Went to check their website. Of course, you can filter profiles by caste. If this feature didn't exist, most upper / oppressor castes won't even go to the website. Most marriages in India promote casteism, endogamy, patriarchy at the… pic.twitter.com/pTLFexo3S8

— Prudy Ray 🥭 (@PrudyRay) October 4, 2023

An X user wrote, “Oh! Matrimony sites run only on caste”. Another person remarked, “This thing is ridiculous, matrimonies are a waste of technology usage”.

Popular Bharathanatyam dancer and scholar Nrithya Pillai, wrote, “Even most of the “dating” happens within the comforts of the caste and class zones! Can’t tell you how many times guys have cut me off once they knew of my caste location, my political assertion and the discomfort I bring to the table.”

In October 2022, a matrimonial advertisement went viral for seeking a partner who is “Non-Manglik Aggarwal by caste” and has been to “premier institutes (Tier 1)” such as IIT Delhi, BITS Pilani, NIT Calicut, IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, etc. This prompted a conversation on the absurdity of matrimonial ads in India that look more like job listings.