MARITAL CONFLICT IN URBAN-EDUCATED CHINESE COUPLES

This paper explores conflict in Chinese marriages and how it is resolved. Interviews were conducted with 20 couples living on a university campus in Southern China. Four main themes emerged in the analysis. These themes were derived from couples' constructed narratives about the dynamics of conflict within their marriage. Couples tended to typify their marriage as either Traditional, Democratic, Modernized or Westernized. A preliminary typology is suggested and specifics related to these classifications are discussed. The results of this study are intended to contribute to a growing interest by Western and Chinese scholars in conflict in Chinese marriages. Findings also can help professionals in the U.S and other Western countries to better understand and work with couples from Chinese cultures.