Abstract
This chapter shows that by a growing number of young Muslim women with a migration background in Germany the 'imported husband' from the country of origin of their grandparents is seen as a gateway to emancipation. By means of the analysis of biographical narrative interviews with male migrants from Turkey and their spouses, this chapter shows that there is a shift of power balance in gender relations that does not have the same negative or positive outcomes for both spouses. The imported husbands might encounter problems and difficulties because of being exposed to drastic challenges regarding their perception of manhood in the host country. Conflicts also for the children are emerging from different biographical experiences in these transnational families.
The related empirical research project has addressed not only Turkish, but also Moroccan men. The outcomes for both groups were very similar. For the analysis of some Moroccan case studies see Apitzsch 2014a and Al-Rebholz 2016.
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Notes
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Woman as migrating subjects moving from Turkey to Germany are the subject of analysis in the studies by Toprak (2007), Straßburger (2003) and Wolbert (1984). All the cases presented in these works follow the pattern of men with a Turkish cultural background settled in Germany, who marry migrating wives from Turkey.
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Reversal of the Gender Order? Male Marriage Migration to Germany by North African and Turkish Men: Consequences for Family Life, Work and the Socialization of the Next Generation. Project funded by the Ministry of Science and Arts of the Land Hessen, directed by the author together with Anil Al-Rebholz. The interviews were realized by Anil Al-Rebholz, Nergis Demirtas, and Ariane Schleicher. The latter two researchers conducted them in the framework of their PhD studies.
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The quantitative study has been conducted by Anja Stichs, Christian Babka von Gostomski, and Tobias Büttner (2014).
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Surveys inquiring into the reasons for the long time declining birth rate in Germany, (http://www.faz.net/aktuell/feuilleton/familie/kinderwunsch-studie-der-bevoelkerungsforschung-13493239.html) especially among well-educated women, have found that one of the main reasons is the absence of a suitable partner. This might be even more important than the availability of nursery schools.
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This interview was conducted and transcribed by Anil Al-Rebholz.
- 8.
For the analysis of similar cases see Apitzsch (2014b: 204–214).
- 9.
This interview was conducted and transcribed by Nergis Demirtas.
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Apitzsch, U. (2018). Reversal of the Gender Order? Male Marriage Migration to Germany by Turkish Men: New Forms of Gendered Transnationalization of Migrant Offsprings in Germany. In: Crespi, I., Giada Meda, S., Merla, L. (eds) Making Multicultural Families in Europe. Palgrave Macmillan Studies in Family and Intimate Life. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-59755-3_4
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