Cultural Influences on Asian Relationships

Despite being regarded as America’s “model minority,” Asian Americans face challenges such as family violence, economic disparities and cultural tensions. In particular, the values of inter-connectedness in Asian cultures https://asianbrides.org/uzbekistan-women can conflict with Western notions of independence, which may contribute to marital issues and domestic violence among Asian Americans.

In 2021, the Pew Research Center conducted focus groups with a small sample of Asian American adults to explore their experiences, perceptions and attitudes https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/ about relationships and intimate partner violence. Respondents also shared their views on how their heritage and culture have impacted their relationships.

Most Asian cultures place a high value on education and emphasize the importance of preserving and passing down traditions. Moreover, most Asian Americans are part of extended families with two or three generations living together and most adults have some degree of parental obligation. In these environments, children are taught to be polite, quiet, shy and deferential. Emotional outbursts are discouraged and failure to meet family expectations can bring shame. While there are many positive aspects to Asian culture, individuation and seeking a definition of self outside the family is uncommon in most Asian cultures.

Across the six largest Asian origin groups, more than half of Korean (67%), Chinese (65%), Vietnamese (55%), Japanese (54%), Filipino (51%), and Indian (51%), adults say that what happens to other Asians in the United States affects them. However, the strength of this connection differs by group. Korean and Chinese adults have a much stronger sense of connectedness to what happens to other Asians in the country compared with Vietnamese, Japanese, Filipino and Indian adults.