Gender Role Disruption and Marital Satisfaction among Wives of Chinese International Students in the United States

Abstract

Chinese wives coming to the U.S. while their husbands study at American universities are cast in a untenable situation rooted in a conflict between Chinese socialization for gender roles and their status in the U.S. While China sanctions gender role equality in education and the workplace and paid work is expected of women and men alike, sojourning wives are thrust into a dependent position, at least for some unpredictable period of time during their stay in the U.S. This study examines what we refer to as gender role disruption, and how conflict between gender ideology and gender roles affects marital satisfaction, through the mediating effect of selfesteem, among wives of Chinese international students in the U.S. The study was framed by two theories–feminism and symbolic interactionism. A self-completion questionnaire and follow-up interviews were conducted with a sample of Chinese sojourning wives, generating both quantitative and qualitative data. Although the results of the quantitative data analysis did not find an association between gender role disruption and marital satisfaction, qualitative results suggested that gender role disruption was related to marital satisfaction, although indirectly, through variables illuminated in the in-depth interviews. In particular, individual characteristics, spousal support, and adjustment to the new culture seemed to be important to marital satisfaction in the sojourning context. Further research, using a larger sample and additional variables brought out through the qualitative data, would shed more light on this process. Implications for counselors, advisors, and others working with international students and their families are discussed.