Abstract
Studies up to now have shown the difference in partner/spouse selection between men and women of ethnic minority groups overseas but lack in-depth exploration of the reasons behind such selection. This study aims to fill the gap by exploring the different types of motivations that drive men and women of ethnic minorities to select their partners/spouses. Using quantitative and qualitative data, we compared partner/spouse selection dynamics and motivations among overseas Chinese men and women. Our study on Chinese people living in Belgium reveal significant gender differences in spouse selection between men and women, with more women likely to go in for intermarriage than men. In our interviews, we found that the underlying motivations for women’s preference for intermarriage lie in their fondness for Western family culture and their desire to make the host country their permanent home. We also found that in their partner-spouse selection, women were less influenced by social norms or pressure from parents and family, which are the main factors driving endogamy. Although the gender ratio in the marriage market is more or less even, cultural factors and possible different adaptation methods of men and women prompt Chinese people to consider or reject their compatriots as suitable partners/spouses.
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Availability of data and material
The data used in this paper is from Belgium National Register. Profession John Lievens (Department of Sociology, Ghent University) has granted permission to use and publish the dataset.
Notes
We are very grateful to Patrick Lusyne (Algemene Directie Statistiek – Statistics Belgium) for providing the dataset and to Amelie Van Pottelberge for the preparatory data cleaning and management.
Given that confidentiality and anonymity are paramount in our research, we have replaced the real names of respondents with pseudonyms (Allen and Wiles, 2016).
According to the dataset from Belgium National Register, first-generation Chinese account for 86.1% of all Chinese residents in Belgium, and the middle-generation Chinese account for 6% of all Chinese residents in Belgium.
In Western popular culture, the term ‘Asian fetish’ refers specifically to Caucasian or other non-Asian males who are attracted to Asian females with more intensity or frequency than is shown for other groups of women (Chang, 2006). Also, see a report in the ABC: https://www.abc.net.au/chinese/2021-04-10/dating-asian-fetish/100059592.
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Acknowledgements
We are very grateful to Patrick Lusyne (Algemene Directie Statistiek—Statistics Belgium) for providing the dataset and to Dr. Amelie Van Pottelberge for the preparatory data cleaning and management.
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This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
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The first author and the second author share equal contributions to this paper. WS carried out the study and drafted the manuscript. Prof. JL provided many constructive suggests and comments to the study. All the authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Shi, W., Lievens, J. Gendered partner selection among overseas Chinese in the West and the motivations behind it. China popul. dev. stud. 7, 257–280 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42379-023-00139-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42379-023-00139-y