Gender Perspective in Cross-Cultural Couples

This article explores gender perspective in clinical work with couples whose romantic choices fall across cultural, racial and religious lines. A conceptual framework is presented to track the dimensions of differences between the two partners in intercultural couples (collective vs. individualistic). The article illustrates how emotional expressiveness, continuum of autonomy, gender differentiation, and sexuality play out in intimate cross-cultural relationships. It also shows how the embedded, culturally assigned gender beliefs and roles are addressed in treatment. Examples from the author’s clinical work are presented throughout the article.