Relationships In Ither Cultures Flashcards
Western and non-western relationships
In western cultures, people typically choose their partners on the basis of romantic attraction and individual choice. There is a high degree of choice due to social mobility due to living in urban settings so we regularly interact with people.
Non-western cultures have fewer large urban centres and less social mobility meaning there is less choice of who they interact with on a daily basis and form relationships. So relationships are more due to family or economic resources.
Western cultures place a greater importance on the rights and freedoms of the individual and are seen as individualistic as they focus on the individual making their own choices. So relationships are seen as voluntary.
In non western cultures, they live in collectivist cultures where relationships have more to do with the concerns of the family or group. Relationships may be involuntary where arranged marriages occur.
Cultures may see divorce as bringing shame on the whole family which discourages unhappy couples to consider divorce. So the string influence culture plays on relationships may not be as beneficial as it seems. Love appears more important in individualistic cultures while other group based values appear to take priority in collectivist cultures.
