Delineating groups for cultural comparisons in a multicultural setting: Not all Westerners should be put into the same melting pot.

Abstract

When conducting cross-cultural studies, researchers often rely on generalised categorisations (e.g., East–West), frequently assuming homogeneity within each of the cultural groups being compared. We argue that such broad categorisations may be misleading and that careful demarcation of cultural groups that takes into consideration their specific sociohistorical realities is necessary to produce knowledge that is both meaningful and realistic. We illustrate this contention by examining preferred mate attributes among four different cultural groups in Canada. In line with predictions, we found that Italians, who are ordinarily considered Western European, demonstrated preferences for status and traditional characteristics in a mate that differed from those preferred by the rest of the Western Europeans (not including Italians). Instead, Italians were similar to the more “Eastern” South Asians and Chinese in their preferences for status traits and to South Asians in their preferences for traditional traits. Importantly, the pattern of cultural differences changed when Italians were included in the Western European category. Lastly, we showed that the influence of culture on preferences for traditional and status traits was differentially transmitted through family connectedness and identification with mainstream Canadian culture. Implications for cross-cultural research are discussed.