Abstract:
This paper endeavors to explore the values on love and marriage in contemporary America as well as causes of its formation by analysing the main characters and the story in a popular TV Series “Desperate Housewives”. This paper analyses the values on love and marriage from the perspective of the four notions of Cultural Dimensions Theory which are individualism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, and rigidity and flexibility. The emphasis is placed on how the four notions influence the formation and development of American values on love and marriage so as to reveal the essence of such values.
Key Words  Desperate Housewives   Values on Love and Marriage    Cultural Dimensions   Individualism   Power Distance 

本文通过对美国电视连续剧《绝望主妇》人物性格及故事情节内容的分析，以文化维度理论的四个概念，即个人主义，权力距离，不确定规避，刚柔性为理论基础探讨当代美国的婚恋观以及其成因。着重分析以上四个概念对美国婚恋观形成以及发展的影响，以探究美国当代婚恋观的核心与本质。
关键词  绝望主妇   婚恋观   文化维度   个人主义   权力距离

In recent years, the TV series of the United States is very popular with young people in China. Since China joined WTO, American TV series of various themes have occupied most Chinese market. The values brought by the TV series will have an impact on the thought and ideology of Chinese people, especially in love and marriage. Based on Hofstede’s theory of Cultural Dimensions, this paper explores the concept of the core value of love and marriage in contemporary America and analyses the root causes of the values.