Difficulties in Turkish-German Marriages and Coping Strategies (in the Context of Religious-Cultural Differences)

Abstract

Following the World War II, Turkish labor immigration to Germany has been increased then Turks have become more prominent in German society over time, and they have begun to establish social and familial relations with German people. In this study, binational marriages between Germans and Turks in Germany are examined. In our research, we aimed to address the premarital concerns of these individuals regarding religious-cultural context, post-marital problems, particular set of conditions between spouses and issues on changing one's religion by means of interviews conducted with the sample group of Turkish-German couples who live in two different states of Germany (Nordrhein-Westfalen and Bavaria). The study indicates that to have a profound discussion on marriage before marriage, to convert to his/her spouse's religion, to emphasize to love/empathy/tolerance rather than religious and cultural differences helps to reduce the anxiety. Another important finding is the fact that individuals/ families to be of a secular nature annihilates the need for participants' setting conditions on one another in religious-cultural context.