Marriage and Family Review
Volume 47, Issue 3, 2011, Pages 125-148

"The compass of our life": A qualitative study of marriage and faith among Chinese immigrants (Article)

Lu Y. , Marks L.* , Baumgartner J.
  • a School of Human Ecology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, United States
  • b School of Human Ecology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, United States
  • c School of Human Ecology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, United States

Abstract

Twenty highly religious Chinese Christian married couples (n = 40) were interviewed to examine how religious faith influenced their perceptions of marriage and family life. Most participants held advanced graduate degrees (14 PhD and 13 MS degrees). Their ages ranged from 28 to 66, and the number of children ranged from one to four. Grounded theory methods (including open coding and axial coding) were applied to analyze the data. Based on the interview data three emergent themes were identified: (1) Moving from atheism to theism ("God is love"), (2) changing perceptions of marriage ("Marriage is established by God"), and (3) a new priority ("Put God first"). Supporting qualitative data are presented in connection with each theme. Implications for research and practice related to Chinese immigrants' marriage and family in the United States are discussed. © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Author Keywords

qualitative methods Religious faith marriage Chinese immigrant families

Index Keywords

[No Keywords available]
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-79957547725&doi=10.1080%2f01494929.2011.571633&partnerID=40&md5=bb891660daefbe23054f690130854eb7
DOI: 10.1080/01494929.2011.571633
ISSN: 01494929
Cited by: 8
Original Language: English