Dating and Mate Selection Among Young Adults from Immigrant Families

Olena Nesteruk, Alexandra Gramescu

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

31 Scopus citations

Abstract

In this article the authors examine dating and mate selection preferences and experiences from the perspective of young men and women from immigrant families. Through in-depth personal interviews with 35 second generation youth from diverse cultures, the authors explored: (1) parental influences and expectations of their children's mate choices; (2) the roles of gender, birth order, and length of residency in the United States in expectations for mate selection; and (3) immigrant youth's preferences for marriage partners. The findings showed that immigrant parents hold mostly endogamous views. Youth's dating experiences are influenced by their gender, their birth order, and their family's acculturation. Second generation immigrants generally seek bicultural partners like themselves. Narratives from the participants provide insight into the attitudes that guide mate selection of these young adults from immigrant families.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)40-58
Number of pages19
JournalMarriage and Family Review
Volume48
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2012

Keywords

  • acculturation
  • culture
  • dating relationships
  • qualitative research

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