| Sumario: | The present study examines sociocultural adjustment of Polish marriage immigrants in the Netherlands. By comparing 108 female marriage immigrants to a similar group of 68 women, who immigrated for reasons other than marriage, we study the role of marriage to the Dutch spouse in the process of sociocultural adaptation. Overall, marriage immigrants showed better sociocultural adaptation than their non-marital counterparts as reflected in higher fluency in the Dutch language, greater endorsement of Dutch identity, and better psychological adjustment. Yet, when marital status and current occupational status were used as predictors of sociocultural adaptation in a regression analysis, occupational status was a better predictor of the adaptation than marital status. Present results suggest that although marriage was involved in the process of post-emigrational adjustment, the occupational status played an even more important role in the adaptation process. In addition, 10 interviews were conducted to investigate how Polish brides experienced cultural differences within the marriage and the influence of perceived cultural differences on marital satisfaction. Excerpts from the respondents' stories revealed that oftentimes compromises are reached in that women are expected to give up their claims. Nonetheless, most respondents emphasized the positive aspect of marriage in their adaptation and did not disclose marital dissatisfaction. Reprinted by permission of the publisher.
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