Long-term
coma resource
British Asian marital breakdown increases
ONE-PARENT FAMILIES are rising among British Asians, says recent research which challenges the stereotype of British South Asian families as ‘flying the flag’ for traditional family life.
While British Asians still have
lower rates of divorce compared with the wider British population, marital instability is growing. “Since the statistics were last analysed in the mid-1990s, there have been signs of a trend towards increasing marital breakdown and divorce among British Asians,” explains researcher Dr Kaveri Qureshi. Twenty years ago, just four per cent of British Asians who had ever married were divorced or separated compared to nine per cent of White British and 18 per cent of Black Caribbean adults. Today, 10 per cent of ever-married Pakistani Muslim and Indian Sikh adults are divorced or separated.
“In all ethnic groups, marital
breakdown has doubled since the 1990s,” says Dr Qureshi. “So rates of marital breakdown continue to be lower for British Asians than the rest of the population, but change has occurred just as quickly for British Asians as for everyone else. Moreover, the percentage of British Asians who are now in single parent families (11 per cent for Pakistani Muslims, nine
per cent for Indian Sikhs and 15 per cent for Bangladeshi Muslims) is now very similar to the 13 per cent for White British people.” Interviews with 63 East London British Asians whose marriages had broken down highlighted less stigmatisation and greater support for separation and divorce than may have been assumed. Moreover while arranged marriages were conventionally seen as safer than love marriages, both young people and their parents may now be viewing arranged marriages as riskier. “In an arranged marriage that brings family approval but not personal fulfilment, young people are increasingly supported to divorce and remarry, with a greater degree of personal say in spouse selection,” Dr Qureshi explains. The recent rise in marital instability has placed increasing demands on community and faith-based organisations which are struggling to meet the need for marriage counselling and mediation services, and to respond to associated problems of mental wellbeing and welfare for single parent families, the study concludes. n
i Contact Dr Kaveri Qureshi, University of Oxford
Email
kaveri.qureshi@anthro.ox.ac.uk Telephone 01865 274582 ESRC Grant Number ES/J003514/1
SUMMER 2015 SOCIETY NOW 7
A NEW ONLINE resource featuring families sharing their experiences of having a relative in a vegetative or minimally conscious state is providing information and support to family members as well as legal and medical practitioners. “The
healthtalk.org online resource provided information and support to more than 4,000 visitors in the first few months after launch,” says researcher Professor Jenny Kitzinger. Training sessions based on the resources have been delivered in hospitals, rehabilitation centres and care homes, and informed training for legal professionals. The online resource was
developed after previous research revealed that many families with relatives in prolonged vegetative or minimally conscious states struggle with feelings of isolation, guilt and confusion and are provided with incorrect legal guidance, poor information and inadequate support. “The highly personal experiences and thoughts described by family members in this resource are proving key to helping people cope with, and feel proud of, how they are managing a very difficult situation,” says co-researcher Professor Celia Kitzinger. “It also helps inform and challenge health care professionals working within this field.” n
i
Contact Professor Jenny Kitzinger, University of Cardiff Email
kitzingerj@cardiff.ac.uk Telephone 02920 874571 ESRC Grant Number ES/K00560X/1 Celebrating Impact Prize winner – see centre pages for more information
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