Acculturation Among And Social Support For Chinese Female Immigrants In Sino-American Marriage In The United States

Globalization has become a catalyst for interracial marriage. The subjects of this study, female immigrants in Sino-American marriage, are witnesses of the immigration flow of recent years. Although China has seen an increase in transnational marriage, misapprehension towards such a familial setting largely remains pervasive. While a great deal of research indicates the origin of country is in association with immigrants' lifestyle and acculturation, this study was justified by the paucity of research that focuses on the acceleration process and social support of the Chinese female immigrants in the United States as a unique community.From the departure point of a historical review of how Chinese immigrants have integrated into the U.S. and a glance of the social context of burgeoning transnational marriages in the global scope, the study uses first-hand data collected from survey of 85 respondents and in-depth interviews with 30 respondents to discuss three overarching topics:The first is to identify the marriage motivation of the Chinese females with an American spouse. The majority of the respondents claim their transnational marriages were love-driven. Even though they admit a green card is alluring to some extent, material benefit itself doesn't serve as the primary motivation of their marriages. Some respondents are inspired to marry Americans by the fact that "exceptional" marriages (such as the remarriage or the later marriage) are more acceptable in the United States that in China. Respondents take the interest of kinship into account by the time of marrying, which is consistent with the Chinese tradition that family values are highly cherished.The second is to analyze the acculturation process of these Chinese female immigrants. Main sources of stress disclosed by the respondents include the discontinuity of cultural experiences, the identity sensitivity as a stranger, the image deviation of "ideal American" and the stereotype for Chinese American in the United States. The in-depth interview identifies specific stresses such as language competence, cultural practice and customs, social relations, behavior patterns and religious differences, etc. The study also explores the acculturation phases and communication network of these Chinese female immigrants, and makes a grounded-theory analysis of their appraisal about "sense of happiness"The third is to indicate the quantity and quality of social support available for Chinese female immigrants, either from public opinions or from societal organizations. It is stated that under most circumstances, public opinion is not favorable to female immigrants in interracial marital union, given the fact that mass media tend to shape this group of people as an "alien" minority. To reduce the gap between social support obtainable from societal organizations and the demands and expectations from the Chinese female immigrants, this study provides some constructive suggestions.