Abstract
Alternative partner choices of youth with a migratory background might be exogamy (out-group partners), local endogamy (co-ethnic partners living in the host country) and transnational endogamy (co-ethnic partners from the country of origin). In the literature, transnational marriages are often associated with strong family influence. Swiss TIES (The Integration of European Second Generation) Survey reveals that native-born youth of Turkish descent are rarely confronted with some family influence while choosing a partner, whatever the migratory status of the partner is. The issue concerns women almost exclusively.
In this paper, I analyse partner choices of Turkish origin women in Switzerland in order to explore whether families play a role in their partner choice processes, how and why families exert influence and how daughters perceive and react to such influence. In-depth interviews of Turkish origin women make it possible to explore, in greater detail, perceptions of family influence on partner choices as well as the coping strategies employed by young women. I find a variety of ways in which families influence partner choices and point out how young people negotiate their choices.
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Notes
- 1.
As there are various ethnicities in Turkey (Kurdish, Armenian, Greek, etc.), “Turkish” refers to national origin, i.e. people from Turkey – Türkiyeli, not the ethnicity of people/immigrants from Turkey. When “Turkish origin” is used to define children of immigrants, i.e., second generation, it refers to their parents’ country of origin.
- 2.
TIES survey countries included Austria, Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Spain and Sweden. Turkish origin youth were interviewed in every country except Spain.
- 3.
Based on parents’ country of origin and migratory status of the partner, i.e. whether living in Switzerland or in Turkey prior to union formation.
- 4.
Multivariate analysis of Swiss Census 2000 data revealed a difference in partner choices of second generation by their country of birth (Turkey versus Switzerland) (Topgül and Wanner 2009).
- 5.
All interviews were taped with the permission of interviewed young adults.
- 6.
In Milewski and Hamel’s (2010) study, the proportion of young adults who are subject to family pressure is not given for men and women separately.
- 7.
All names of informants in this paper are pseudonyms.
- 8.
Like Feride and Sibel.
- 9.
Like the case of Güniz, Sibel and Diyar.
- 10.
So called “honour killings” are by no means typical sanctions (or particular to the migration context); they are extreme types of domestic violence and abuse (Williams 2010). There is a range of other (financial and emotional) sanctions exerted by family or social group to influence young people’s behaviour.
- 11.
Sibel’s parents are divorced and her father was (and still is) living in Turkey at the time Sibel met her husband in Switzerland.
- 12.
Adıyaman and Maraş are two provinces of Turkey.
- 13.
When they first met, Güniz did not want to start a relationship with her husband because he was 6 years older than she was. Then, the two started talking on the phone and seeing each other. His family came to ask Güniz’s father’s permission for marriage a couple of times. Güniz’s uncle hindered the process in order to arrange a marriage between Güniz and his son.
- 14.
- 15.
Elif’s parents do not have formal education. Only her father knows how to write and read.
- 16.
Güniz decided to raise her voice after considering all options. Yet, it was not an easy process for her; she experienced depression because she had to run away instead of leaving her parental home in a wedding dress (symbolising purity). Moreover, people continued talking about her and the choice she had made for some time.
- 17.
Santelli and Collet (2012) mention four factors that constitute a “pre-conjugal socialisation phase” and that are particularly influential in the partner choice of second generation in France: the residential environment, schooling, family education, friends and meeting places.
- 18.
I share the point of view of Kağıtçıbaşı (2005: 404) who says “agency refers to motivated action with a sense of efficacy, toward a desired outcome. The dictionary definition of autonomy includes self-rule and volition. The construal of autonomy (…) is in terms of agency that also involves volition”. In this study, autonomy and agency are thus seen as overlapping.
- 19.
In Williams’ (2010) study, structure is defined “by the systems and policies of governments, but also by social and cultural structures governing communities and families whose members migrate through marriage” (p. 2).
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Topgül, C. (2015). Family Influence on Partner Choice of Second Generation: What Are the Experiences of Turkish Origin Women in Switzerland?. In: Aybek, C., Huinink, J., Muttarak, R. (eds) Spatial Mobility, Migration, and Living Arrangements. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-10021-0_3
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