Recipients of PSC Small Grant Awards

Perceptions of Family Change and Marital Quality among Nepalis

Keera Allendorf

Keera Allendorf

This project explores Nepalis’ experiences and perceptions of family change in the Darjeeling Hills, India and their conception of marital quality in Chitwan Valley, Nepal. In South Asia, family behaviors are undergoing many changes, including an increase in young people choosing their own spouses, families increasingly residing in nuclear households, and changes in parental support and relations. Through collection and analysis of semi-structured interviews with villagers in the Darjeeling Hills, this project will address the following questions: What changes do villagers see happening to the family? Why do they think these changes are happening? How are these changes affecting village life? And, finally, how do they feel about these changes? In Chitwan Valley, Nepal, I will explore people’s conceptions of marital quality also through the collection and analysis of semi-structured interviews. This component on marital quality builds on a previous study in the Darjeeling Hills and is intended to inform future work on marital quality and its causes and consequences for well-being in non-Western contexts

Funding Period: 2/1/2010 to 6/30/2011

International Focus: Nepal