Our Project:

Shifts in Family Structure & Gender Roles

Nuestro Proyecto: Cambios en la Structura de la Familia y el Papel de la Mujer y el Hombre
 

Street art in Somerville, Broadway Street
For our project, we sought to capture the voice of the individual Latino immigrant in order to give him or her a place for self-representation and expression of his or her individual experience. Initially we looked to record actual migration stories and experiences, particularly gender differences within this process. After conducting our first two interviews with this initial topic in mind, we discovered that this area was far too personal to explore. From then on we looked to refocus the theme of our research while maintaining a concentration on gender roles. Our final decision which is now the premise for this report was to observe and record the shifts in gender roles and family structure among Latino immigrant families, specifically Salvadoran families.

Store in Somerville, Broadway Street

Urban Borderlands 2003: Tufts University Students & their High School Partners (AHORA students)
 

These are the chapters in the written version of our Final Report:

Chapter 1: The Migration Process
• Why were Salvadorans Immigrating to Somerville?
• Family/Social Networks as a Pull Factor for Migration
• Social & Economic Remittances After Arrival to the U.S.
Chapter 2: Changes in the Work Structure
• Female Shift from Working Inside the Home to Outside the Home
• Female Shift from Informal to Formal Economy
• Female Double Responsibility
• Male & Female Shift to Different Labor Sectors
Chapter 3: Male & Female Relationships –Definitions of the Family
• Family Structure in El Salvador as Described by the Ten Narrators
• Married Couples Coming from El Salvador
• Married Salvadoran Couples Established in the U.S.
• Non-Traditional Families –Informal Couples & Single Motherhood
Chapter 4: Parent & Child Relationships –The Immigrant Experience
• Culture and Communication Conflicts
• Importance of Bilingualism
• Goals for the Future of their Children