My Grandmother Case Study

I decided to interview my grandmother about her work experiences. I felt the best way to format her answers was chronologically. The personal and biographical questions were used to re-create the story of her life focusing on her work experiences and the factors that have influenced them, with a few evaluative questions and her answers at the end.
My grandmother, Carmen Claudio was born in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico on May 18th, 1947. At the age of six, Carmen began doing chores around her home. She and her sister were responsible for helping their mother clean the house and assist in cooking meals for the rest of the family. She was married for the first time at the age of sixteen. Within a year of getting married her household responsibilities
Alone with two children and an infant to take care of, Carmen did not have the option to work. She left her job and depended on the financial assistance of family until she got married for the second time about a year later. She gave birth to her 4th and youngest child at the age of twenty-three. Her second husband was violently abusive. He didn’t want Carmen to keep her children that weren’t also his, so he forced Carmen to send her first three children away to live with her sister in New York. After two years living in Puerto Rico with her abusive second husband and her youngest son, Carmen took her son and ran way to New York with the help of her sister. She told me “My sister saved my life and the life of my children, I owe the blessings I have now to her and to god.” After moving to New York, Carmen moved in with her sister and her husband, then she and her sister worked full time at a factory pressing 7-inch records, rotating shifts to take care of the children. This continued until Carmen’s sister lost 3 of her finger tips in an accident at the factory and had
It was not at all what I expected. I thought it would be easier, like making conversation, but it was not. I had asked my mother to be there while the interview took place, so she could help my grandmother and I communicate, because English is not her first language. I also thought having her there might ease my grandmother’s nerves, because she is closer to my mother than she is to me. However, I think the closeness they shared and having her as an observer created more tension than it relieved. were some emotional moments, as my grandmother confessed her regrets she apologized to my mother for all her mistakes. It was hard to continue with the interview after that, and I felt guilty for asking the question that brought about that painful moment, but we were eventually able to move forward. I believed I’ve gained a lot from this assignment. Most importantly, I benefitted emotionally from an improved relationship with my mother and grandmother. Intellectually, I feel I have a better understanding of concepts we discussed in class, as I apply them to the story of my grandmother’s life. My grandmother has faced obstacles due to her gender, race, and class. Gender roles were firmly established in my grandmother’s community. There was, and still is, an idea that is dictating the way people view gender. A toxic idea that women and men are opposite and opposing. This idea is known as hierarchical