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How International is International: A Study on International Marriage Migration in Asia

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Migration in China and Asia

Part of the book series: International Perspectives on Migration ((IPMI,volume 10))

Abstract

Marriage is an ever-evolving institution for human beings. Migration for the purpose of marriage has increased in volume in the last two decades in Asia, partly due to the forces of neoliberalism. The growth of international marriage migration (IMM) has affected significantly the traditional practices associated with marital unions. Evidence suggests that IMM has emerged in different patterns in different parts of the world. Southeast Asia (SEA) and East Asia (EA) are both examples of a unique pattern of IMM emerging. However, as an attempt to counter feminist discourses that have largely positioned marriage migration as exploitative, this chapter examines drivers of such patterns from women’s perspectives. This paper argues that the context-specific patterns of marriage migration may offer women empowering opportunities, rather than marriage migration being always inherently exploitative. At the same time, it acknowledges the exploitative factors that can define these relationships. Based on data collected from 33 couples, this paper addresses the motives of the women of SEA and East Asia in choosing international marriage migration, demonstrating both their agency and structural oppression.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Statistics on the marriage of Vietnamese women to Taiwanese men are maintained by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Offices (TECO) in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

  2. 2.

    Malibiran. ‘Filipina Marriage Migrants in Asia.’ 3.

  3. 3.

    Malibiran. ‘Filipina Marriage Migrants in Asia.’ 4.

  4. 4.

    Nimfa et al. (2007) ‘Filipina Marriage Migration Streams to Japan, Taiwan and South Korea.’ (Paper presented at PAK/IPAR Conference on International Marriage Migration in Asia, Seoul, South Korea 2007). 8.

  5. 5.

    Lee (2007) ‘International Marriage and the State in South Korea.’

  6. 6.

    Lee and Lee (2007) ‘Spouse Dissimilarity and Marital Instability: An Analysis of Divorced Couples of International Marriage in Korea.’ (Paper presented at PAK/IPAR Conference on International Marriage Migration in Asia, Seoul, South Korea, 2007, p. 22.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Migration and Refugee Studies (CMRS), The American University in Cairo, New Cairo, Egypt

    AKM Ahsan Ullah PhD

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  1. AKM Ahsan Ullah PhD
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Correspondence to AKM Ahsan Ullah PhD .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing, Hainan, China

    Jijiao Zhang

  2. Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

    Howard Duncan

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Ullah, A. (2014). How International is International: A Study on International Marriage Migration in Asia. In: Zhang, J., Duncan, H. (eds) Migration in China and Asia. International Perspectives on Migration, vol 10. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8759-8_8

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