Entry into intercultural marriage: factors of spouse choice

Abstract

Background. Intercultural marriages are micro-level models of intercultural relations and can help to understand the changing society of the globalization era. The objective. Revealing attitudes towards entry into intercultural marriage and factors influencing the choice of a foreign cultural marriage partner among Russians and Buryats in the Republic of Buryatia. Design. The study was conducted in 2020 in the Republic of Buryatia using a socio-psychological survey on online platform. The convenience sample was used (the “snowball” method). The sample included representatives of 2 groups: Russians (N = 111) and Buryats (N = 102). Results. The analysis showed that the attitude towards entry into intercultural marriage in these groups is above average, while no significant differences were found between the groups. The negative attitude towards intercultural marriages among Buryats to a greater extent than among Russians was determined by factors reflecting the acceptance of intercultural marriages by relatives, loved ones and society in general, which was more significant for the Buryats. Among the Russians, more than among the Buryats, negative attitudes were interconnected with factors reflecting personal characteristics of the future spouse (values, norms of behavior) and interpersonal communication. For both the Russians and the Buryats, negative attitude towards entering into intercultural marriages is associated with the importance of proximity of cooking traditions, naming, raising children and their identity, as well as religious beliefs. Conclusion. The general favorable “Zeitgeist” in Buryatia towards intercultural marriages contributes to the tolerant attitude towards the creation of such married couples among both the Russians and the Buryats.