Why International Marriage Attracted Much Attention?

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International Marriage
Introduction
Over the last couple of years, international marriage has attracted much attention both in relation to practical concerns and from a theoretical viewpoint. Central to the debate of international marriage is the question about its benefits and challenges at the micro (individual), cultural (meso) and macro (state policies) levels (Chakrabarti, Gupta-Mukherjee & Jayaraman 216). Despite the fact that economic and political elements of immigrant integration have been deeply examined, there is little information the social interactions between natives and immigrants. International marriages can be exciting despite the issues involved. On the other hand, the refreshing traits of demanding relationships can become a basis of conflict, frustration, misunderstanding and pain. There are various benefits of an international marriage and so are the challenges. For example, cross-cultural patterns may have a positive impact on the children in that it may broaden their minds. Raising the children as bilinguals in this case helps in making them to respect other cultures and people. In addition, the couples get a chance to learn a second language and experience different cultures. This helps in broadening their understanding of other cultures besides providing them with an opportunity to choose between living in two countries. The minds of the couple are continually opened in terms of learning a new culture, and this helps them to stop viewing their own culture as superior. A couple’s family and friends are also introduced to new cultures which help in breaking existing stereotypes.
Despite the above benefits, there are also some challenges that people face when they get into international marriages. The most common of these is state integration policies. In a move to protect the interests of their people, most governments have strict immigration policies which may hinder couples in international marriages from migrating or acquiring citizenship. In addition to this and despite the fact that couples eventually learn the culture and the language of their spouse, this may take a relatively long time. This in turn inhibits communication in the short run, which strain relationships and may often lead to a divorce (Osland & Bird 67). Further, couples in an international marriage are more vulnerable to prejudice as compared to couples who hail from the same country or culture. Nevertheless, the benefits of international marriages outweigh the challenges or disadvantages of such marriages and this has led to increased cases of international marriages.
Cultural Benefits
People from different cultures may benefit each other. In line with this, international marriages help to eliminate the problem of ethnocentrism. The concept of ethnocentrism is understood as judging other cultures on the basis of the beliefs, values and standards of one’s culture. Through international marriages, people learn and adapt other values of other cultures (Chakrabarti, Gupta-Mukherjee & Jayaraman 217). For example, an American woman married to Indian men will have to learn the Indian culture. In this case, gender roles differ between the two co...