Binational marriages One of nine marriages in Germany is binational
Bonn · Marrying across nations and cultures is a growing trend. One out of nine marriages in Germany is binational.
Statistics of the German federal office showed that every ninth marriage in 2014 was binational with an upward trend. German women preferred partners from Turkey, Italy and the U.S. while German men tended to be married to women from Poland, Turkey and other east European and Asian countries.
Of the marriages in 2014, 85.9 percent were between German couples and 14.1 percent between bi-national pairs. Divorce rates were higher in German-German marriages than in binational marriages with around 90.5 percent of divorces being between German couples and 11.4 percent of divorces between binational couples.
Stefan Raffelsieper and his wife Alma de la Cruz are just one example of a bi-national couple in Bonn. The German man and his Colombian wife met as Erasmus students in Bilbao, Spain. She said it helps that her husband speaks very good Spanish and understands her culture. She has also learned the German language thoroughly. A cultural difference that Raffelsieper finds a bit difficult is that the man always has the last say in South America and he doesn’t want that for himself. For her, it is still gnawing when she sees plates being left completely empty at the end of a meal. In her culture, the polite thing to do is leave a little on your plate.
Caritas leads a discussion group for binational parents to help them overcome the unique challenges they face. Sofia Sombra de Longwitz leads these groups and says she hears often that people feel as though they have lost a part of their identities when they come to Germany because they have tried so hard to blend in here. She says everyone has the right to their own identity and growing up with two cultures is a benefit for children. They can automatically learn two languages when their parents expose them to both in a regular fashion.
When it comes to child-rearing, it is difficult for de la Cruz to let their son, Luis run around on his own outside. The dangers of Bogota live in her mind and she feels the need to protect her child. The compromise: dad accompanies Luis to the playground.
Discussion rounds for binational parents are offered at Caritas regularly, involving four sessions. They are free of charge and held at Hans-Iwand-Straße 7. Child care is also offered. (0228) 223088. Asked if any of the sessions were conducted in English, GA English was told the sessions were mainly in German and the discussion leader speaks Spanish as well.
(Orig. text: Ebba Hagenberg-Miliu)
