International Marriage Research Articles

Transnational divorce and remarriage between Pakistan and Britain: Intersectionality, harmful immigration rules and internal racism

AbstractThis paper examines marital instabilities in the transnational social field connecting Pakistan and Britain, distinguishing between first marriages and remarriages. In British Pakistani families, national statistics show transnational marriage to be the dominant practice, although there is significant differentiation in its popularity. I show that in their remarriages, participants reevaluate the merits of transnational marriage, based on their experience of their unsuccessful first marriage. Despite considerable ambivalence towards cross‐border marriage, remarriage continues to be a channel for marriage migration because British nationality, citizenship and permanent settlement status can raise a participant's marital capital in a transnational social field, mitigating the devalued identity associated with divorce. Overall, the material raises concerns about internal racial discrimination and the harmful immigration policies that enable and support such processes. I show the necessity of adopting a combined intersectional and transnational approach to the study of transnational divorce.

Love, Money and Obligation: Transnational Marriage in a Northeastern Thai Village. By Patcharin Lapanun. Singapore: National University of Singapore Press, 2019. Pp. ix+198. $36.00.

<i>Love, Money and Obligation: Transnational Marriage in a Northeastern Thai Village</i>. By Patcharin Lapanun. Singapore: National University of Singapore Press, 2019. Pp. ix+198. $36.00.

Negotiating the modalities of time – individual and institutional, migratory and marital: a temporal ‘double-bind’ for Chinese migrant women in the UK

ABSTRACT Complex migration and life course trajectories entangle in the youth mobilities of increasing numbers of educated, middle-class Chinese migrants to the UK. This article argues that intersections between individual and institutional framings of time shape temporary migrants’ experiences and rhythms of transnational marriage formation. Drawing on data from in-depth interviews with 51 informants, this article examines how migrants’ desire for, timing of and decisions relating to transnational marriage are shaped by the interlocking forces of time and timing embedded in intersectional visa regime, marital institution and gender order. The British visa regime determines the duration of time that a temporary migrant is allowed to stay; the institution of marriage prescribes a socially expected time to marry; and the Chinese state’s gender discourse stigmatises women’s late marriage. Unpacking this intersection, this research seeks to advance understanding of the complex relations between various socially constructed modalities of time in producing specific experiences for migrants, who may experience an accelerated and decelerated sense of time during the process of transnational marriage negotiation.

The role of children in marital relationships and (in)stability of cross‐border stepfamilies in Hong Kong

As the first study on the marital stability of transnational remarriages, this study contributes to two bodies of literature, namely, marriage migration and stepfamilies, by examining the role of stepchildren and common children in (de)stabilising marital relationships in cross‐border stepfamilies in Hong Kong. Studies have shown that intermarriages and remarriages are unstable, especially remarriages involving non‐shared children. Remarriages represent a significant proportion of transnational marriages. However, little is known about the role of immigrant stepchildren and common children at different life courses in shaping marital dynamics and stability in international remarriages. This study focuses on cross‐border marriages that involve children from a previous relationship. It adopts a life course perspective and uses in‐depth interviews with lower‐class mainland Chinese immigrant mothers with children from previous relationships and common children with their Hong Kong husbands. It found that children in these families played three roles in stabilising or jeopardising remarriage: immigrant stepchildren as catalysts, common children as buffers and husband's children as gatekeepers. This study contributes to the literature by highlighting the important role of migration in stepfamily dynamics, the diversity of transnational stepfamilies and the need to go beyond the conjugal dyad to understand marital dynamics and stability in cross‐border stepfamilies.

Love, Money and Obligation: Transnational Marriage in a Northeastern Thai Village, by Patcharin Lapanun

Love, Money and Obligation: Transnational Marriage in a Northeastern Thai Village, by Patcharin Lapanun

Perceptions of transnational family responsibilities’ effects on subjective health and wellness – voices of Thai immigrant women

PurposeGlobalisation provides new opportunities for immigrant women to supply financial benefits transnationally to uphold their families in their home countries. The purpose of this study is to explore the experiences of Thai immigrant women regarding transnational family responsibilities effects on their health and wellness.Design/methodology/approachQualitative data were collected using semi-structured interviews with 40 Thai immigrant women, of which 34 described having transnational family responsibilities. The transcribed data were analysed using a phenomenographic approach.FindingsThe findings revealed five structural aspects of transnational family responsibilities of Thai immigrant women: being a dutiful daughter, being a caring mother, being a kind relative, being a “giving” person and striving for a wealthy life. The interviewees seldom encountered enough support from the spouse in handling their transnational family responsibilities. In general, a transnational marriage includes family responsibilities that are continuous and that often is the cause of migration.Practical implicationsThis paper illuminates the transnational responsibilities of marriage migration and argues for women’s rights of culturally congruent health care.Originality/valueTraditionally Thai women’s values are based on how they handle family responsibilities and acknowledging own health needs are not. These interviewees perceived doubled burden in terms of family responsibilities and workload in employed work, which contributed to poor health and wellness.

Copious relationships: transnational marriages and intimacy among Moroccan couples in Italy

ABSTRACT This article aims to explore how intimacy is constructed and experienced among couples formed through transnational and arranged marriages, between Morocco and Italy. The analysis, conducted with a qualitative approach, begins by retracing the process of couple formation and the role that kinship plays in facilitating this transition in migrants’ life courses. I then consider how love and intimacy are intertwined with the wider effort of family settlement in the Italian context. The investigation is developed in dialogue with the literature on the detraditionalization of intimacy, on one side, and transnational marriages, on the other. I argue that these couples achieve intimacy by pursuing copious relationships resulting from their ability to navigate among family extension and nuclearization, independence and reciprocal commitment, kin expectations and self-determination.

Measuring Family Migration in Russia: Sources of Data and Problems of Its Interpretation

The article presents the results of a study aimed at generalizing the sources of data, available in Russia, that characterizes a significant but little-studied phenomenon of family migration. The paper considers data from the Main Directorate for Migration Issues of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia on issued temporary residence permits (TRP) and acquisition of citizenship, Rosstat materials on the number of marriages with foreigners, as well as statistics on migration flows, which indicate family reasons. Considerable attention is given to the analysis of the Main Directorate for Migration Issues data on issued TRP and citizenship acquisition, on family reunification grounds. Based on the analyzed information, it is concluded that family migration is the major part of the flow of foreigners receiving TRP, and its share amounts to at least 35% of the total. Taking into account that a significant part of the TRPs is issued to the accompanying family members of the participants of the State Programme to Assist Voluntary Resettlement of Compatriots Living Abroad, the share of family migration can be increased to almost 50% of the TRP recipients. The percentage of migrants who acquired citizenship based on family ties with Russian citizens also amounts to about 36% of the annual flow and taking into account family members of participants of the State Program it makes almost 60% of all foreigners naturalized in 2014-2018.AnalyzingtheRussianstatisticsoncitizenshipacquisitionavailablesince2010,theauthornotesthatafterthechangesinthecitizenshiplawin early 2010s, citizens of states that do not have international agreements with Russia actively use marriages with Russian citizens to simplify citizenship acquisition, and the number of such cases is growing rapidly. The basic growth rates of this category of naturalized migrants in 2018 compared to the level of 2010 reached 300 times among the citizens of Tajikistan, 110 times among the citizens of Moldova and almost 60 times among the citizens of Azerbaijan. The author suggests that there is an expansion of the practice of marriages of convenience to overcome the complexities of Russian immigration law. This hypothesis needs to be tested. It is also necessary to study the phenomenon of “transnational marriages”. The disparity in the number of foreigners, men and women who married Russian citizens, revealed by Rosstat data, also requires further study. On average, there are 15 foreign grooms per 10 foreign brides, for Tajikistan citizens this ratio amounts to 32, for Azerbaijan citizens 26, for citizens of Uzbekistan 17 and Moldova 14. The article ends with an analysis of Rosstat’s annual reports on the reasons for move and shows a limited potential of this information. The author makes recommendations for the development of administrative statistics and sample surveys to study family migration and use new types of data in research.

Patriarchy and Spinsterhood in Morocco

The present study is an attempt to investigate higher education learners’ attitudes about the issue of spinsterhood as a social phenomenon in Morocco. It aims at investigating the variables that may influence spinsterhood such as religion, culture, international human rights, marriage legislation and women education. The paper uses a theoretical and practical part. The review of literature is quiet broad and inclusive that it trespasses the national intellectual framework on the issue of spinsterhood to the western one. The field work is conducted through distributing a representative number of questionnaires, 350 questionnaires. Briefly, the findings proved that the majority of respondents, 51% believes that the society regards spinsters as those who had never been proposed to. Moreover, 52% of respondents hold the view that spinsters are old women who had never been married. As to the gender perception factors that may further stereotype spinsters, the findings proved that the majority of the respondents, 55% stress that religion stands as a primary factor behind conservative gender perception. Lastly, an important percent of 49% of the respondents believes that the lack of education is the factor behind such perceptions of gender

Thinking With Time: Reflections on Migration and Diaspora Studies Through Sri Lankan Tamil Marriage Migration

Most of the migration studies or diaspora studies predominantly focus on migration patterns, human movements and their circulation over space. Recently a shift occurred focusing on nonhumans and immobility to analyze migration and diaspora. In this article by taking one of the features of Sri Lankan Tamil transnational marriage between Sri Lankan Tamils from Sri Lanka and Sri Lankan diaspora, I argue the importance of time and temporality to rethink about migration and diaspora studies. I show how different temporalities of things and humans that get (dis)entangled at different places and different points in the marriage migration process allow us to shift our lens slightly in future studies on migration and diaspora.

Marrying for a Future: Transnational Sri Lankan Tamil Marriages in the Shadow of War. SidharthanMaunaguru. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2019. 202 pp.

Marrying for a Future: Transnational Sri Lankan Tamil Marriages in the Shadow of War. SidharthanMaunaguru. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2019. 202 pp.

Current issues in access to care services for the elderly in Japan focusing on special permanent residents and foreign-born Japanese: A report by the Monitoring Report Committee of the Japanese Society of Public Health

Japan is currently one of the countries with a long life expectancy, in which a great number of older people need care for their daily living. Japan has become increasingly internationalized due to an increase in foreigners and international marriages. As the number of elderly foreigners and foreign-born Japanese increase, older adults who do not use Japanese as their first language will need more opportunities to receive care. We examined characteristics such as country of origin, language spoken, lifestyle, living environment, and cultural background of elderly people who were either foreign permanent residents living in Japan or foreign-born Japanese (hereinafter referred to as elderly with an international background, in short, EIB) receiving care support. Ichushi-web, a medical literature database, was used [last search date: June 2, 2018]. These searches extracted 205 papers. After the first and second extraction procedures, only two papers matched this theme. These two reports were for Korean residents in Japan, so-called special permanent residents, and repatriates from China and their spouses, many of whom were aged 75 years old and above. The number of permanent residents in Japan who speak a foreign language as their first language is increasing. Inhibition of communication between EIB and healthcare welfare service providers is expected to be an obstacle while accessing care support services. For this reason, we must provide them with information related to Japanese healthcare services. Medical interpretation efforts are scattered and the response to EIB in the event of disasters has been discussed. From the perspective of multicultural coexistence, it is necessary to provide long-term care insurance services and medical services to EIB. Such efforts may include development and sharing of tools and the placement of staff who can communicate with non-Japanese speakers. Staff must also understand various illness- and health awareness-related issues. In the future, considering the increasing number of EIB who may require care services, we must consider cultural backgrounds and language diversification for EIB. These issues require clarification and development of acceptable solutions.

Shifting women: Mobilizing intimate kinship in a Punjabi diaspora domestic narrative

Based on extensive multi-site fieldwork with Punjabi immigrants in Italy, the article discusses the institute of transnational marriage and kin reunification among Indian diasporas, interlacing the drive for upward mobility, the normative frame of family migration and the affective economy in building affinity relations. A household case is considered: the lag between a mother’s and her daughter’s experience, an Indian pioneer migrant and a 2nd generation Italian, who differently resorted to kin networks and practices of intimacy in order to circumvent contingent burdens such as political persecution, economic uncertainty, law-enforced stuckedness. The dissonant genealogical narrative that this mother-daughter dyad share sheds light on gender and age intersections in transnational migrations, revealing how a migrant life-course is embedded in family and social upheavals that unfold across different historical challenges. The role of kinship and the alternative dependencies or opportunities it may yield are gauged against a frame of structural constraints and novel desires for making one’s living in a world increasingly hostile but not impermeable to mobility.

다와다 요코(多和田葉子)의 『발꿈치를 잃고(かかとを失くして)』 연구 1 - 이방인의 현실인식과 국제결혼의 역사적 흐름을 중심으로 -

The narrator in Missing heels written by Yōko Tawada, who made a splendid debut as a bilingual writer with her novel and poetry in Germany before her work was released in Japan, arrives at an unfamiliar Central station unlike her debut in spotlight and falls on a ground upon arrival, which shows the author's perception of reality as a stranger. The narrator in Missing heels which is Tawada's debut in Japan feels anxious and alienated coming from her lack of understanding of inhabitant since she moved transnationally to where the culture and language were different from her own. The title of Missing heels is represented of her situation. The reason behind the narrator's migration is due to a paper marriage as a form of international marriage and we are going to look into the trends of international marriages from the early 20th century to the 1990s focusing on Japanese history, including Picture Brides, Military Brides and Rural Brides in order to understand her situation better. The narrator thinks the local children called her as a traveling squid. From this, we can see that she is identified with her husband who has never appeared until the dead body of squid is found in the last scene and we assume that her husband is also like a stranger who cannot share the culture with other residents just as the narrator who became a stranger through emigration.

국제결혼부부의 사회경제적 상대지위가 양가 부모 지원에 대한 의사결정력에 미치는 영향

이 논문의 목적은 국제결혼부부의 사회경제적 상대지위와 부모 지원에 대한 부부권력의 관계를 분석하는 것이다. 한국 국제결혼 증가의 배경에는 한국 남성은 물론 혼인이주여성이 결혼을 통해 부모를 부양하고자 하는 욕구가 중요한 요인으로 작용하였다. 이 논문은 외국인 아내와 한국인 남편의 사회경제적 상대지위가 양가 부모 지원에 대한 의사결정력에 미치는 영향에 분석 초점을 맞추었다. 자원이론과 젠더이론의 관점을 적용하여, 부모를 지원하는 의사결정력에 관한 네 가지 가설을 도출하였다. 이 연구는 〈2018년 전국 다문화가족실태조사〉 자료를 활용하여 다범주 로지스틱 회귀분석을 실시하였다. 분석 결과, 취업상태나 임금수준에서 남편보다 상대적 우위를 지니는 외국인 아내들이 친정부모 지원에 대해서는 보다 강한 의사결정력을 행사하는 것으로 드러났다. 그러나 시부모에 대한 지원의 경우, 외국인 아내의 취업상태나 임금수준의 상대적 우위가 유의한 의사결정력으로 전환되지 않았다. 한편, 한국인 남편의 사회경제적 지위는 양가 부모 지원에 대한 의사결정력을 강화시키는 것으로 밝혀졌다. 또한, 남편의 임금수준이 상대적으로 낮은 경우에도 처가부모 지원에 대한 의사결정을 남편이 주도하는 양상이 발견되었다. 이러한 결과는 국제결혼부부의 사회경제적 자원과 부부권력 간 관계의 비대칭성을 의미하며, 부계가족 지향의 사회규범이 외국인 아내의 의사결정력을 제한하는 기제로 작동하고 있음을 시사한다.

Not professional enough to be a therapist: international therapists’ experience of language discrimination

International therapists’ languages have been viewed as a barrier in conducting therapy. Our study utilized language subordination process as a framework to examine the experiences of eight international Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) students facing language and cultural bias from clients. Our findings suggest that language proficiency affects the communication process, and other factors (e.g., ethnicity) are also important. Therapists who speak English as a second language (ESL) experience language discrimination through judgements of their professionalism, competence, and credibility. When facing language discrimination, ESL therapists often experience self-doubt, which affects their counseling efficacy. ESL therapists use their language and culture as strengths and supervision to cope.

Marriage decisions of Turkish second-generation women in Strasbourg: not a fate but a refuge

ABSTRACT Marriage patterns of the second-generation are gaining greater attention in the US and Europe. The majority of studies so far have concentrated on partner choices and transnational marriages. An interesting case in point concerns Turkish second-generation women in France who marry at a significantly younger age than all their male and female counterparts, a decision often justified along the lines of family taking priority. This article focuses on the marriage decisions of young French women of Turkish origin in Strasbourg, while scrutinizing their experiences in education and at work. Using biographical interviews, I examine the perspectives of young women who do (or do not) have early matrimony in their trajectories. Detailed analysis of the school and work trajectories of these young women shows how marriage can function as an alternative transition pathway into adulthood, providing an understanding of marriage decision that goes beyond cultural essentialist explanations.

Mixed marriage and transnational marriage migration in the grip of political economy: Russian-Turkish Case

ABSTRACT Since the early 1990s, marriages between Russian women and Turkish men have become more common. Today, Russian brides have the top place among marriage migrants in Turkey. This study aims to reveal the actors, places, motivations and mechanisms of these marriages, which have changed the social fabric significantly. The study emphasizes the direct effects of political-economic structures on mixed marriage and marriage migrations. In this study, in-depth interviews were held with Russian brides and their Turkish husbands in İstanbul and Antalya. The results show that this 30-year-old marriage pattern has evolved substantially over time, mirroring the two countries’ political economy, and has created its own system that diverges from the global trend in several ways.

The Working of Heteronormativity: Transnational Remarriage as Pragmatic Strategy

This article uses empirical findings derived from in-depth interviews with remarried individuals in Singapore to present a sociological analysis on transnational remarriage. Contributing to existing scholarship on remarriage, the article discusses specifically transnational remarriages where transnational divorcees enter another transnational marriage. Adopting a transnational, intersectional feminist perspective, the article analyzes anecdotal accounts of remarried individuals to illustrate how unequal effects of globalization and the intersection of nationality, class, and gender shape the conditions under which transnational divorcees remarry and pursue happiness. The empirical discoveries reveal how the remarried participants veer off the normative pathway of heteronormative modern marriage where one would fall in love, marry, and enjoy the companionship of a soul mate. Transnational remarriage is instead employed as a pragmatic strategy for attaining various happiness goals, namely, restored masculinity, social recognition, mobilities, and family reunification, thereby challenging dominant meanings of modern marriage. Having said that, the participants’ anecdotes show that their happiness goals continue to be lodged within the framework of heteronormative marriage though their pathways may differ from the normative ones. Their accounts of their motivations to remarry and meanings of marriage reveal the profound effects of heteronormativity in their decisions and trajectories. The article thereby offers a critique of heteronormativity through a feminist gaze on remarriage.

The development of a culturally-appropriate marriage enrichment programme for black african married couples: overview of programmes

Development of knowledge on how to support marriages cross-culturally is necessary to inform appropriate solutions, especially for South Africa, where practical marital challenges amongst Black African married couples who are considered to be high risk are noted. The focus of this narrative literature-informed overview is to provide an appraisal of existing and most effective national and international marriage enrichment (ME) programmes, couples theories and social work models as the basis for the possible development of a culturally-appropriate ME programme for Black African married couples. Findings reveal, among other things: 1) there are no culturally-appropriate and empirically evaluated ME programmes beneficial to Black African married couples in SA; 2) appropriate theory is necessary and available for integration; 3) theories recognise marriage as a system, and therefore acknowledgement of various societal structures is fundamental; 4) existing empirically tested and effective programmes supporting couples theories and social work models are suitable to be adapted to the specific context.