The Intersection of Gender and Culture in Chinese International Student Couples

A grounded-theory qualitative study based on feminist theory was conducted to investigate three areas of inquiry regarding the marital relationships of Chinese international graduate students. The three areas of inquiry were gender socialization, cultural influence, and structural aspects of the relationship. Ten Chinese couples, of which at least one spouse was a graduate student, participated in the research. Thirty open-ended qualitative interviews were conducted, one with each couple, one with each husband, and one with each wife. Qualitative analysis revealed several dominant themes including traditional versus flexible gender ideology, the sacrificial wife, relationship expectations, the influences of Western culture and communism, problem-solving communication, and spousal support.