Marriage migrants: American women navigating immigration and intercultural marriage

Based on eight semi-structured interviews from June 2016 with American women married to German spouses and living as immigrants in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, the aim of this study is uncover how this group experiences immigration and integration. Taking a feminist perspective and grounded within standpoint theory, I argue that the combinations of their American citizenship, gender, position within intercultural marriage and immigration status, creates a unique immigration and integration experience for this group in Germany. Findings reveal the following intricacies within intercultural marriages, the challenges that female immigrants and mothers face, the importance of language in integration, the role that American citizenship plays in immigration and the emotional struggle to find a sense of belonging as immigrant newcomers.