Immigrant Women Challenge the Role of Men: How the Changing Power Relationship within Iranian Families in Sweden Intensifies Family Conflicts after Immigration

Abstract

Research into the distribution of power in the family and its consequences for family conflicts among immigrants in Sweden is limited and problematic. The situation varies greatly between immigrants from different countries and cultures and of different social backgrounds. We know that, generally, family conflicts and separation among Iranians and other immigrant groups are more common than among Swedes. Why is this? ls it the poor socioeconomic situation of immigrants the main cause of the high frequency of separation? Or is it the cultural differences between the immigrants’ land of origin and Sweden? The question might also be connected to gender relations in immigrant families. Is there, for instance, any difference between men’s and women’s experiences of immigration which affects their power resources and thereby their family relations? How can we explain that it is often the women who take the initiative for the divorce? Is immigration only a problem or can it also be an opportunity? This article describe and analyze how immigration has influenced the distribution of power within Iranian families in Sweden, and the significance of these changes for the origin of family conflicts and conflicts of interest, which in many cases lead to separation. The inquiry concentrates on the Iranian immigrant group, which is the largest group of immigrants which comes from an Asian and Islamic country and of which the majority are refugees. These factors make it possible to get a clearer picture of the effects of immigration on the situation of women among those who came to Sweden with other values and experiences than those of Swedes.