The Cadillac, the Camry and Everything in Between: A Qualitative Investigation of Marital Attitudes Among First-Generation South Asian Immigrants

Previous research suggests that there is a significant generational divide between first- and second-generation South Asian immigrants (henceforth “SAIs”) around the issue of marriage and indicates this divide is causing psychological distress among the SAI population in the domain of marriage (Samuel, 2010; Zaidi & Shuraydi, 2002). The present study explores the current nature of this potential divide and both expands upon and updates the extant literature surrounding first-generation SAIs’ attitudes towards marriage. Analyses were conducted with a sample of ten first-generation SAIs residing in the US. Participants were recruited using the snowball sampling technique and were interviewed individually by the lead researcher using a semi-structured interview format. Given the exploratory nature of this study, grounded theory was used as the theoretical framework for data interpretation and analysis. Results from the present study indicate that the generational divide between first- and second-generation SAIs on the issue of marriage may not be as glaring as suggested by previous studies. Furthermore, our analyses suggest that first-generation SAIs may conceptualize love and arranged marriages as existing on a continuum as opposed to diametrically opposed systems. Our results also indicate that first-generation SAIs may come to the defense of the arranged marriage system out of a sense of allegiance to their native culture which has been historically misrepresented by Eurocentric perspectives. Additionally, our findings suggest that members of this community often believe that couples who have love marriages generally hold higher expectations for their marriages than couples who have arranged marriages. Finally, our analyses suggest that many first-generation SAIs maintain a relatively cautious approach to marriage. Clinical and research implications of these findings are discussed.