Abstract
The article is based on a research project drawing upon survey data (N=628) and qualitative interviews (N=60) of youth and their parents belonging to the five largest ethnic minority groups in Denmark i.e. Turkey, former Yugoslavia, Pakistan, Lebanon and Somalia, along with the experiences of psychosocial services for minority youth.
The theoretical framework is social psychological, which combines theories of modernization, family relations and effects of discrimination. The article examines youths' interaction with the parents in relation to their intimate partnership formation and dynamics related to religious endogamy.
Main findings indicate that parents are either supportive or against the youth, contrary to the dominant discourses underlining intergenerational conflicts related to intimate partnership formation. The continued practice of religious endogamy is another finding. The article criticises the reductionistic dichotomy - either own or parental choice - and appeals for broader concepts, which focus both on own choice and parental acceptance.
The article also throws light on some strategic services dealing with ethnic minority youths' intimate partnership formation problems U.K. as well as Nordic countries. Finally a model for psychosocial intervention is presented which directs attention to the issues of ageism, sexism as well as racism at personal, interpersonal and structural levels.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care |
| Volume | 3 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Pages (from-to) | 27-43 |
| Number of pages | 17 |
| ISSN | 1747-9894 |
| Publication status | Published - 2007 |
Keywords
- Ethnic minority youth
- parental generation
- parental acceptance
- own choice
- conflicts
- parental inclusion
- negotiations
- compromises