The Impact of Cultural Differences on the Identity of Women Married with an Expatriate - Research Paper Example

The impact of cultural differences on women in marriages where one or the other partner is an expatriate: An Interpretative phenomenological analysis Introduction: The individual characteristic by which a person is recognized is known as identity. The question is: do we have a single identity or multiple identities? Identities are multifaceted; people may have multiple identities. For example, a person who is very religious can express a very modern thinking toward some concepts like ‘single mothers’. The recent surge in immigration rate raised questions about how the families of migrants are coping and thriving in their adopted countries. “These individuals face a number of challenges including discrimination, isolation and financial stress according to many psychologists who contributed in this field of research”. (Immigrants overcome great odds to raise children in foreign lands, say researches, 2009, para.4). Every year there are more families who find them struggling to adapt to new countries and cultures around the world. However, people express themselves according to their social settings, by which they develop their identities in the context of the social norms. People shift their boundaries and change their views on certain aspects to develop their social senses, in the case of immigrants. For example, even if they express their identities according to the culture and norms they come from, they develop a unique understanding of the culture in England and act according to the social context in which they work and live (Baumann G, 1996). The identities are shifting and the reason is the development and understanding toward the modern and post modernism to get along with the society one lives in (Stacey 1998). The boundaries of identity are shifting and renegotiating. Whether it is intentional or not; it shift the boundaries of racisms. Since late 1970’s identity has became a term, which is meaningful across disciplinary boundaries in psychology, sociology, and feminism etc. The research in the field of identity has made it clear that the identity is static. Imagining identity as unchanging does not fit in with the construction and reproduction of thoughts and the challenges that come with the social relationships (Appadurai, 1990). Racism is a good example of unequal social relationships and how they are constructed and reproduced. Shifting of identities may have contributed to the shifting of racism by providing a challenge to the concept between identities and structured inequalities. It also shed light on the concept of feminism in psychology. “Feminism’ is a body of ideas and a set of philosophical and political discourse, which aimed at gaining equal rights for women”. (Chng, 2010, para.1). The development of the idea of ‘feminism’ urged that a standpoint is necessary on identity, ideology and cultural practice. As this idea further develops, the ‘differences’ play an important role in shaping the theories and politics of feminism. If the objectivity, for example, is taken-for-granted which is an essential aspect of analysis, it could no longer be accepted as viable concept on the ground of poststructuralist view of feminism. Therefore, identity - the concept and the process provide a crucial point in developing these issues further. Until now, the identity was discussed in the broader area of ‘personality’. But social psychology which concerns with the social identity is the current interest in the concept of identity. Feminist interest in the issues of identity has been rekindled through both the discussions of identity politics and psychoanalytic approaches to the issues of subjectivity. (Bhavnani & Phoenix, 1994, p.9). The empirical approach is constructed through the languages used in these different areas and sometimes abstract and obscure terminology is used in analyzing identity. “The important point is that, these issues and identities have captured the political views of the identity of the present time. However, an outcome of these discussions is that the notion of identity is a static and unitary trait that lies within humans. This has replaced the idea of identity as an interactive and contextual feature of all social relationships”. (Bhavnani & Phoenix, 1994, p.8). Considering identity as a dynamic aspect of social relationships is constructed and reproduced through the structure dyad, which lies within the unequal power relationships. In other words, individuals do not perceive identity as something internal. It adopts a number of differing, and conflicting identities, depending on the social, political, economic and ideological aspects of their situations. According to Hall (1991) ‘identity emerges as a kind of unsettled space between a number of intersecting discourses’. This conception of identity gives the idea that an individual can express multiple and often contradictory aspects of oneself by precluding the authentic notion of a true or a ‘real self’. Methods: Recruitments and Participants: Two participants were recruited through the message board on the website ‘www.meetup.com’; an online resource that provides people to create groups in order to meet up and socialize in London. The request for the participants was mailed to the organizers of the two groups ‘London Muslim group’ and ‘Asian meet-up group’; which include women from Indian sub continent and neighboring countries. The rest of the participants were recruited through the available contacts which were family and friends. The participant had to fulfill three main criteria for participating in this study: (a) they had to be married; (b) they had to be identified as an ethnic minority either from Indian sub continent or neighboring countries and (c) they had to have an identity influenced by two different cultures. That is, they either had to have grown up in different country and moved to London as a young adult or got married here or they married in other country and came to London with their partner or their partner should be from a non western culture. Eight participants were selected according to these criteria. The age of participants is from 25-35 years. It gives an insight into the cultural adaptation of foreign women or partners within recent years of immigration. The participant’s cultural backgrounds were as follows: interviewee 1 was originally from India she was married in India and came on spouse visa, interviewee 2 was from India but lived in Saudi Arabia and married in the UK, interviewee 3 was from Pakistan, married in Pakistan and came on spouse visa, interviewee 4 was ethnically Somali but lived all her life in Holland and in the UK and her partner is from non western culture. Following this screening procedure, 4 participants were contacted and interviewed on various themes related to cultural differences related to marriage. Two themes are discussed in detail in order to convey the intricate details and complications of personal account’s limitation within the space constraints. Procedure and Interviews: The interviews were conducted in a quite area either in a participant’s house or in the university rooms. In both the cases there was no one else present expect the participant and the interviewer. Each participant was interviewed separately on a mutually agreed time. The interview process and the topic of research were discussed beforehand with the participant in order to maintain egalitarian relationship between the researcher and the participant. In accordance with Conard & Schober (1999) the interview was styled in the form of conversation where the participant might lead the conversation into various unforeseen topics. This allow participant to give new perspectives and aspects in relation to the research question. Participants were told to add any information relevant to the interview as per the nature of the conversation. However, the researcher also had a list of topics (see appendix .....) to cover in the interview which guided the concept of sub-questions during the interview. Hybrid identity construct were especially explored if aroused in the interview with appropriate questions. Ethics: The basic ethics and confidentiality were ensured before conducting the interview. Participants will be explained thoroughly with the nature of the study and role or rights of the participant. This was explained both verbally and in written form. This was ensured, by signing a consent form by both parties. The consent form also mentioned the fact that the interviews were taped by a digital tape recorder. However, only the researcher would listen to it. The participants were not deceived in the study; they were assured that they could withdraw from the study at any point without being asked any question. The data that is the original recording and the transcripts would be destroyed after the investigation is finished. The consent forms were separated from the interviews and the original names where replaced by pseudonyms to maintain confidentiality. Throughout the interview, the researcher was aware of the range of sensitive topics and carefully assesses the responses of the participants for any potential signs of uneasiness or distress. In such cases, the interview was either paused or conducted at another time. Participants were reassured throughout the interview that none of the questions were obligatory. Those who needed support were given information of counseling support available from NHS and similar organization. Official ethical approval was gained by the School of Psychology’s Ethics Committee, University of East London. (Appendix) Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA): The outcomes and transcripts resulting from these interviews are analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Smith and Osborn (2004) suggested that IPA aims to explain ‘what the particular respondent thinks or believes about the topic under discussion’. IPA is a system which involves analyzing unique and factual qualitative information in a discrete and organized approach. This method focuses to investigate participants’ cognitions through a structured analysis and interview. This method involves participants’ first hand information and the researchers’ interpretation of the facts and points discussed and can be considered both phenomenological and interpretative. The analysis is successful; if the discord amongst these is minimal and results in a qualitative and quantitative analysis. IPA also captures what the participant believes in, and is concerned with. It is the chain of connection between verbal report, cognition and physical state. (Smith et al., 1999; Smith & Osborne, 2004). IPA assumes that the verbal account of participants give an insight into their personal thoughts and feelings of their past experiences. Phenomenological process is analyzing the verbal account. It aims to reveal something about the psychological side of the participants. IPA suggests that the use of language is a process of discovery e.g. themes ‘emerge’ and categories are ‘identified’ (Willing, 2001). However, IPA recognizes that the researcher makes sense of the text by producing themes is inevitably influenced by their own assumptions about the subject under investigation. IPA produces reflexive knowledge that is inevitably influenced by the researchers’ perspective. The consistent assumption of IPA of a participants’ account provides some insight into their thoughts and feelings about a phenomenon, Willig (2001). He suggested that it also involves a realistic approach to knowledge production. Further, IPA also assumes that these personal thoughts and feelings are not directly determined by a phenomenon or event, but they reflect the participants’ subjective experiences of them. Due to this reason, Willig (2001) further argues that IPA also involve a relativist ontology where subjective experiences and interpretations are intertwined with social interactions and processes that are shared between individuals. Therefore, IPA is recognized to afford a symbolic interactions perspective (Smith & Osborn, 2004; Willig,2001) The realist and relative perspective of IPA is also problematic, as the two theories are fundamentally different. However, there are other qualitative methods that are compatible with more than feature and epistemological position such as Grounded Theory (combines realism and relativism). On this basis, Willig (2001) suggested that label such as realist or relativist is not capable of capturing the actual or true complexities and ambiguities that characterize the various epistemologies. In this approach, however the basic criterion of reliability of information provided may not be met always. This is because there could be a huge difference in the assumptions and interpretation of the researcher with that of the participant’s objective answers. Analysis: Cultural Clashes and Accepting New Culture Cultural discord is quite common in marriages especially when one of the partners is from a different culture. “Ethnicity has a somewhat larger effect on British identity than religion”. (Manning & Roy, 2007, P.9) An observation is that once the change is complete, the participants are happy to find themselves in the newer position. But in the course of change, a few things have left a remarkable impact. The pressure to learn English, to modulate the accent to match the British accent is among the few things which are bound by time. T5 has experienced this and goes on to say that “but you know my accent is a little bit different to his. He has indirectly told me he wants me to work on this.” (Interview-1 ccm) Cultural clash can happen when the expectations and reality are gross different as in taking care of extra family members. Listening to family views for personal decisions could be sometimes irritating. This is the main concern for T7 and admits this as “listening to what my husbands wants from me I also have to listen to what his family advises me to do as well.” (Interview 3.3) It is also interesting to note that the ladies have become more observant and are mending their ways to appease the counterpart in terms of dress, friends and company. T6 build this point while accepting new culture as “I am obviously a little more observant now and see what is expected of me when I am with my husband and see what how he likes me dress and who he thinks are good friends and company.” (Interview 2.2) The cultural mismatch disappears once a balance is struck between two cultures and the best way is to take up social activities with the spouse. It is ironic that sometimes between a pub and an ethical restraint leaves a mark that it pops up in such an interview. T8 view in regards to culture is explained as “When he says lets go for dinner I think we will go to an Indian restaurant, but he takes me to the pub sometimes.” (Interview 4.1) Socializing with men and women is different in different cultures. What becomes more important is not how the woman socializes with them, but how the husband perceives it. “The concept of bicultural identity assumes that immigrants can maintain their unique cultural identity while adopting the host country's values and ideals. In other words, socialization or acculturation can take place among immigrants without a corresponding loss in their ancestral cultural patterns”. (Dong, Gundlach, & Philips, 2006, p.63). The hurdles faced by the four participants due to the disparities in culture and compromises they had to undergo in adopting and accepting the new culture is understood is reported. Change in Thought and behavior A person when comes to a foreign place he or she will have to accommodate according to the new environment. The way one behaves and thinks become essential in having a successful living in a foreign land. According to T1 she feels that the new culture has made her change; not just her way of thinking but also her behavior as a whole. “I think yes I changed in many aspects including my behavior”. (Interview 1). T1 had gradually left her traditional attire and moved to western outfits. Although not very comfortable with this change, her husband was very motivating in this regard. Here the adaptation of T1 to new culture had a supporting hand from her husband which conveys that an understanding partner makes things easy and smooth.T2 had her initial days at London very difficult to adjust without her parents and siblings, but her husband helped her to transform into the new circumstances which again reconfirms that mental and emotional understanding from partner plays a vital role in the degree of adaptation to a foreign culture. In case of T4 she had to mend her ways to suit her husband’s way of thinking. She was a liberal Muslim before marriage and did not clad hijab and wore jeans. But after marriage, she had displayed the willingness to change and adhered to Somali culture. Sacrifice is a basic requirement in a lasting marriage and when different lifestyles or cultures meet, the more a partner is ready for sacrifices the more it will help the marriage to last long with full strength. T4’s example is a good example of sacrifice. Gender differences Gender differences are widely seen in south Asian countries while in western countries it does not exist. This often will be a main barrier for immigrants to western countries. The interviews has put forward the issue of gender differences in various levels.T1 felt quite uneasy to work with men initially but eventually she changed “It has changed and I’m comfortable around men and women equally” (Interview 1).T2 was not comfortable with gender intermixing but she started to accept it. Both these women are best examples of people who can adapt as per situations because at points adaptations become essential for one to look forward in life whether it be for professional or personal needs. But as per the experience of T4 her husband seems confused “He wants a wife who does everything and then the other day he wants a wife who works and goes out to help with the bills so I think my husband is more confused.” (Interview 4)”.In this case the husband is not able to forget his home grown ideas and he is battling against himself to change as the new environment does not support the very ideas he has grown up with. From domestic to foreign culture In a foreign soil many times home land cultures cannot survive and so adapting the new culture will be a basic requirement to establish a relation with the new surroundings .This relation will form the basis to a new experience which may change ones likeness to the new culture.T3 has had terrible experience with her new neighbors which made her use so many negative adjectives to quantify the new culture but at the same time T3 felt that she began appreciating her husband’s thought that their domestic land customs and celebrations were just a waste of money and hence was not a part of the western culture. T2 feels she is more of a social person than before and she goes on to say “I have changed but this does not mean I have forgotten my cultural ways, I had to adjust and respect the way of this country” (Interview 2).In case of T4 her husband forced her to take more responsibilities which she felt was overloading her, she had the advantages of the new culture of having the freedom to study as well as work but at the same time being a good wife as per domestic traditions. Adjustment with Marriage Adjustment after marriage as most of the people say is definitely required. One could term it as a compromise or could term it as adaptation. This mutation could happen on the part of either the husband or the wife. “Responsibility must be assumed and new duties must be accepted. Some personal freedoms must be relinquished, and many adjustments, unselfish adjustments, must be made”. (Kimball, 977, p.9). The best adjustment is possible when there is a willingness to change. The female partner often finds herself working on her ways to meet the requirement of her male counterpart and family. T5 experience in this context is “So I am kind of as well as doing what my partner says , I also fulfil, his families too.” (Interview-1 ccm) As long as this does not cause a mental stress to the female, this change is bound to strengthen the bond of marriage. Religion is also another important factor for adjustment. Although this is an arguable topic, it is seen that people of the same belief get along better. T6 strongly believes that “Religion brings us together through common beliefs.” (Interview 2.1) The other important aspects which are to be compromised after marriage are clothing, food, language and rituals. The communication has also increased amongst the couples to ensure that things are not taken for granted and women have become more patient listeners. The timing of children has come up in discussions and it is interesting to see that the husbands are sometimes not ready to have kids soon after their marriage. T7 is particularly hurt about this and says “he isn’t as excited and happy as I am to have children now.” (Interview 3.1) The reason could be financial, feeling too young or something else. In some cases, it is the female who does not want to have kids because she likes to be independent for some more time, work freely and enjoy her life for some more time. T8 feels that kids will hinder her work as she says “I will work. Only if I don’t have children soon.” (Interview 4.3) The female counterpart is particularly happy when the male has changed something to suit her. It could be the food habits, social outings or even the language itself. “The relationship created by a particular couple is shaped by their respective styles of relating, and the interaction of their respective relationship styles will subsequently influence their experience of that relationship”. (Parker, & Scannell, 1998, 25-27). Various adjustments were made by the wives to put themselves into the shoes of their husbands. The new culture and the new demands are explained as understood from the interviews. The hurdles faced by the four participants in adjusting to marriage are understood and reported. Understanding and sharing responsibilities Understanding each other and sharing responsibilities form the basis of a strong wife-husband relation. These qualities will be of utmost importance when the two are from different cultures, countries or life styles, as these qualities will decide the strength and life of the relation. Three of the interviewed women (T2, T3, and T4) felt that the new environment and culture bought in a new level of understanding between the wife and husband. In case of T2 she felt her husband ensured to keep family happy by adhering to the family values and enjoying in a different mood all together when hanging out with friends. “I liked that because we felt like a team; we were both doing something for our family” (Interview 2). T3 husband was hard worker and had to take care of his sister as well and he was saving for his sister’s marriage which was not liked well by T3 at first but T3 started giving importance to her husband’s responsibilities and at the same time accepted new culture and people around her. In case of T4 her in-laws were quite good people and she was happy with them. But like their son, they had strong Somali and Islamic values. T4 initial strong determination not to mend her clothing to suit the new culture made them upset and were concerned about what the neighborhood would conclude.T4 took up a responsibility to do her part to minimize the cultural disharmony, she started using hijab and moved out of jeans to reduce the cultural gap. Overview: This analysis can not be taken as a baseline to access common themes and practices in the understanding of cultural differences on women in marriages where one or the other partner is an expatriate. It has largely been sampled on the basis of only four participants whose ‘typicality’ cannot be established. Its assessment lies in its examination of the issue in subjects’ own perception and (reconciled versions of their) phenomenological thought process. Especially in the case of Participant T2, she can be seen as a person who has loved this change although not the change process. She is a happy woman and takes thing on a similar note. In the case of T1, T3 and T4, the participants feel that change was inevitable and meant for their survival in the new culture. They were also happy but there was certain amount of deep pain which could be still felt after 3-4 years of transformation. None of the interviewed persons have demonstrated stress, disgust or psychological breakdown due to the cultural mismatch and post marital lifestyles. This report has further painted the possible significance by delving in to the participant’s meaning-making mentality and orienting to the biased thinking which participants build up with regard to their perceptions, mainly in terms of the justification they build. The impetus on meaning-making thought process in the interviews has largely helped in understanding the participants’ need for convincing theories. This has helped in creating a logical chain of responses from the participant’s interpretation of the various traumas after marriage. Reference List Bhavnani, K. K., & Phoenix, A. (1994). Shifting identities shifting racisms: A feminism and psychology reader. Sage, p.9. Retrieved April 12, 2010, from http://books.google.co.in/books?id=fSA-Pxn4xFgC&pg=PA9&lpg=PA9&dq=Feminist+interest+in+the+issues+of+identity+has+been+rekindled+through+both,+the+discussions+of+identity+politics+and+psychoanalytic+approaches+to+the+issues+of+subjectivity&source=bl&ots=WJe6AwOcQY&sig=OX-WpqPzCZKMQzr7NSf_IcYVHCw&hl=en&ei=oaHBS-n6Kcy2rAf5uvzSCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CAoQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Feminist%20interest%20in%20the%20issues%20of%20identity%20has%20been%20rekindled%20through%20both%2C%20the%20discussions%20of%20identity%20politics%20and%20psychoanalytic%20approaches%20to%20the%20issues%20of%20subjectivity&f=false Bhavnani, K. K., & Phoenix, A. (1994). Shifting identities shifting racisms: A feminism and psychology reader. Sage, p.8. Retrieved April 12, 2010, from http://books.google.co.in/books?id=fSA-Pxn4xFgC&pg=PA9&lpg=PA9&dq=the+notion+of+identity+is+a+static+and+unitary+trait+which+lies+within+humans&source=bl&ots=WJe6AwOfP-&sig=kA41cTstAMoOF5peTCSe9Z-ekmg&hl=en&ei=xqLBS4ybEY-8rAe71PXpBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CAgQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false Chng, J. (2010). Misinterpreting feminism. Suite 101.com. Retrieved April 12, 2010, from http://feminism.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_misinterepreted_meaning_of_feminism Dong, Q., Gundlach, D. P., & Philips, J. P., (2006). The impact of bicultural identity on immigrant socialization through television viewing in the United states, p.63. Retrieved April 12, 2010, from http://www.uri.edu/iaics/content/2006v15n2/06%20Qingwen%20Dong,%20Dean%20Phillip%20Gundlach,%20&%20John%20C.%20Phillips.pdf Immigrants overcome great odds to raise children in foreign lands, say researches. (2009). Science Daily. Retrieved April 12, 2010, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090604113926.htm Kimball, S.W. (977). Adjustments in marriage, p.9. Retrieved April 12, 2010, from http://www.ldsces.org/inst_manuals/Marriage35311000/Selections/Marriage35311000_06.pdf Manning, A., & Roy, S. (2007). Culture clash or culture club: The identity and attitudes of immigrants in Britain. Centrepiece Summer, p.9. Retrieved April 12, 2010, from http://cep.lse.ac.uk/pubs/download/cp224.pdf Parker, R. A., & Scannell, E. D. (1998). Changing families, challenging features: Attachment and material adjustment: Working models. Retrieved April 12, 2010, from http://www.aifs.gov.au/conferences/aifs6/parker.html Read More