Cross - National Marriages: A Review of the Literature

This paper reviewing the available literature on cross-national marriage (in English) is divided into three section. First, the 33 studies reviewed are classified into three types, each with a dominant theme: war bride/colonizer marriages-- isolation and alienation, educated Western non Western marriages--wives cultural adjustment and marginality, and educated WesternWestern marriages -- wives’ desire for bi-lingual children and career fulfillment. Second, ways in which this body of literature fails to represent the phenomenon of cross-national marriage are identified, suggesting directions for future research. Limitations of this literature include: small, non-random samples; emphasis on foreign wives’ experiences; focus on the couple; emphasis on Americans in cross-national marriages. Third, tentative generalizations are proposed based on these studies: participants in cross-national marriages are free, in various ways, from strong cultural constraints; they desire to maintain a bi-cultural identity; they generally conform to the cultural standards of the country of residence; adjustment is easier when the couple resides in the wife’s country; social attitudes about racial/cultural differences are more the source of conflict than the differences themselves.