Mexican American Family

Most second-generation Asian women were exposed to American values since an early

age. Nevertheless, they were detested and oppressed by the American society. They were facing

a major identity crisis because they were in between the need to fulfill their parents' expectations

and the inclination to be in an American culture (Fan 79). In an Asian family, the tradition is

to value elders and other members above one’s own individual self. Especially in patriarchal

Asian communities, family is defined as the “central institution” for a woman's place and identity

(Fan 81).

Within Mexican American families, young women were expected to uphold certain

standards. Parents often assumed what they perceived as unquestionable entitlement
to regulate

their daughters' actions and attitudes (Ruiz 267). The first area of disagreement between a

Mexican American daughter and her family is usually about her personal appearance. During the

1920s, teenage girl loved to be bold with having bob hairstyle and using makeup. However, her

mother would not allow that to happen because swimsuits, bloomers, short skirts were also the

sources of controversy (Ruiz 268).
The most serious tension arose between an adolescent

daughter and her parents was about her behavior toward young men. However, some women

openly rebelled toward their parents. As a result, they moved out of their family homes and into

apartments. Considering themselves free and single women, they could go out with men

unsupervised because that was the practice among their native-born peers (Ruiz 269).

Between the 1916 to the 1970, more than half a million of African Americans joined the

Great Migration out of the South and into cities in the North. In the North, they still found

discrimination but they also found new freedoms and economic opportunities in the urban North

that helped them create a better life for themselves and their families (Simpson 1183). Within

African American families, women would often stay at home to focus on domestic works for the

family. If an African American family has a high level of socioeconomic status, it signifies that the family has the ability to protect their daughters from sexual exploitation which was quite

common for African American women at the time (Simpson 1185). Due to limited
employment

opportunities because of racial discrimination, African American women had to work because of

their ability to generate income for poor and working class families (Simpson 1186).

At school, Asian American girls were encouraged to be confident and independent.

Because educational and employment opportunities increased for women after World War II,

parents noticed that high paying careers were available for educated women. Through education,

the daughters could accomplish the parents’ expectation and bring honor to the family (Fan 79).
In addition, asian American women had a high percentage in graduating high school in 1950. To

ward 1960 and 1980, there were even more college graduates. However, throughout the

education levels, Asian American males have always received a better education and advantage

to achieve their educational goals than females in the same group (American Women in College

and the Professions). For Mexican American students, they usually reconcile lessons at school with their own

Heritage (Ruiz 6). School often raised expectations with the American dream, young women

often believed that hard work will bring material rewards and social acceptance. Some Mexican

American women desired to go to college while others planned careers right after high school.

Although typing and shorthand courses were popular among Mexican American women, toward

the end of the 1920s, only about two percent of them held clerical jobs (Ruiz 7). Between 1920 and 1950, the number of African American women receiving college

degrees increased rapidly. By the mid-century, that number exceeded the number of
African

American men college graduates. Moreover, the transition to a post-industrial economy were

mainly the cause for increased rate on higher education of the work force (Nancy and Anderson

17). Incentives were therefore created by these driven economic forces for greater investment in

a formal education within the African American community. Because of the achievement in

higher education, black women were able to make significant economic progress by

concentrating in professional careers (Nancy and Anderson 18).

Although Asian American women had the diplomas in their hand, they were still

concentrating in low-paying. Also, racial and gender discrimination made it tough for them to

obtain high-paid or decision-making positions (Fan 81). They usually involved in clerical, sales

and service occupations. For the most part, their ethnic and social class background affected their

labor force participation. The occupations that Asian American women held at the moment could

be found in professional positions for native-born women. In addition, Asian American women

tend to concentrated in farming, service, and blue collar occupations. Many women have also

been employed as sales clerks, maids, waitresses, and tour guides (Fan 82).

Prior to World War II, the majority of Mexican American women have jobs. They worked

as garment workers, hotel maids, child-care workers, and domestic services. Other Mexican

American women worked in small family businesses including restaurants and boarding houses.

Despite a small number of women by the end of the 1920s, it was not common for women to

involve with the development of organizations and community activities in the Midwest urban

colonias. The most significant change for Mexican females was in the number of married women

who worked outside of home. Their jobs included washing, ironing, sewing, and taking care of

children or boarders. It is not until during and after the war that Mexican American women were

employed in a variety of war-related occupations because they had to make money to pay for

rent and food when their husbands were off to war (Santillán 1995).

In contrast to the occupations of most Asian American and Mexican American women,

African American women did not participate in non professional white-collar occupations as

they did in the professions. However, African American experienced economic gains in selected

sales and trade occupations. Because of race and gender discrimination, employment options for

African American women were limited. In return, beauty culture attracted many African

American women across every class line. Salon-owning beauticians sought professional status

for beauty culture, while working-class beauticians desired the economic security (Walker 22).

Class differences emerged around working conditions in beauty salons and some working-class

beauticians chose to work from home or rent booths in salons. Moreover, although middle-class

beautician had education, they ultimately faced racial discrimination in other careers such as

nursing and education. Therefore, they invested in African American beauty schools, which

promoted cosmetology to women as an opportunity to escape low-paying of domestic labor

(Walker 23).