While India is not renown for its gender equity progress - millions of
female fetuses are still aborted - marriage ads stress academic
degrees required of and offered by brides. This a historically unique
feature worldwide as momen's education used to be, and still is,
thought as contrary to their narrow duty of breeding and housewifery .
 Is this realistic in India, and why did it happen there? And how do
academic wives reconcile working and motherhood in India?

Hi carmi604, 

Let me try to answer that question. 

Indian society can be segregated in terms of the regional differences,
religion/caste basis and the more pragmatic economic basis.

Gender inequity while exists in the overall Indian society is more
prevalent in certain aspect. "Dowry" a very prevalent system in the
Indian society makes the female child an economic burden on the
parents and family, especially the economic and religion & caste
backward segments of the society. (This could be as large as around
the 30% of the entire society. )

Hence, eventhough female infanticide is although unlawful in the
Indian society, it is still very much prevalent. (especially in Uttar
Pradesh, Punjab, Bihar and the north east regions. A lower degree of
this practice exists in the southern part of India). The infanticide
is somewhat directly proportional to the poverty of the region and the
degree of existence of the "dowry" culture.

Also note that the Indian society being more biased towards having
atleast one male child, who is supposed to the "support of the parents
in old age" and to "perpetrate the family in this pre-dominant
patriachial society". In certain cases, after a few female children,
parents try hard for a male child. If unfortunately, they are not
blessed by a male child, the practice of female foeticide is
aggrevated even in more economically advanced sections of the society.

Following and related links are useful:
http://www.indianchild.com/dowry_in_india.htm
http://www.indianchild.com/abortion_infanticide_foeticide_india.htm

http://www.gendercide.org/case_infanticide.html


The Indian Medical Association estimates that five million female
foetuses are aborted each year. As a result, the sex ratio in the 0 to
6 age group in some northern areas (where the craze for boys is at its
worst) is amazingly skewed: 793 females for every 1,000 boys. In some
areas it is 754, and in parts of Punjab and Haryana, the figure is
about 600.

Large portion of the academic housewifes actually do not pursue a
career after marriage and resort to breeding and housework. Less than
2% of educated graduate women resort to careers later.

Education is a symbol of being cultured in the society and hence it is
an important aspect in the marraige matrimonials that you have cited.

Women who resort to having a career are usually from upper middle
class of the society who can afford part or full time domestic help. A
key aspect of this is also a broad minded and supportive partner and
the family into which the girl has married into.

Hope this has provided you some perspective.

Marriage ads in India are quite different from those in the West,
having to deal with expectations of a still stratified populace and
mentioning sometimes caste and skin color.  A potential bride's having
an academic degree signals that she comes from a better-off family
with an acceptance for more liberal ideas.  This may not be a plus for
her to some men or their families seeking a bride, but it could be
important to those who expect the future wife to be able to live in a
less traditional society, where  - like in the West -  women join in
mixed socializing and are expected to have an education appropriate to
the husband's, even if she is "only" a housewife and mother (which was
the way it was 40 years ago in the West).