Arranged Marriage, Identity, and Well-being among British Asian Gay Men

The cultural expectation of an arranged heterosexual marriage poses social and psychological challenges for British Asian gay men. This article examines the diary accounts of 12 British Asian gay men concerning their perceptions and feelings concerning marriage in face of familial pressure to get married and the implications for identity processes and psychological well-being. Data were analyzed qualitatively using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis and Identity Process Theory. The following themes are outlined: (1) Bringing it up: Coercion, threat, and negative emotions; (2) Sidestepping marriage: Strategies for coping with threat; and (3) A no-win situation: Marriage as a dilemma. Familial coercion into marriage can threaten identity and psychological well-being and individuals seem to deploy intrapsychic/interpersonal coping strategies which have limited long-term efficacy.