Traditionalism among Chinese American married women and their families: Immigrants and native-born.
Item
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Title
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Traditionalism among Chinese American married women and their families: Immigrants and native-born.
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Identifier
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AAI9325156
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identifier
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9325156
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Creator
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Tokar, Richard Michael.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Burton Pasternak
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Date
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1993
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Anthropology, Cultural | Sociology, Individual and Family Studies | Women's Studies
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Abstract
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Chinese American women, whether native or foreign-born, are often viewed (both in popular prejudice and, perhaps more surprisingly, in most sociological work) as maintaining traditional patriarchal Chinese family values. An aim of this study is to demonstrate that they and their families differ from their counterparts in China and cannot be defined using paradigms based on rural Chinese families.;One hundred and seven married Chinese American women were extensively interviewed to examine the changes, constraints, variations and contradictions in their lives resulting from differences in early upbringing in China and the United States and the impact of their involvement in wage labor. This study clearly shows that attitudes and behaviors vary greatly and that most women cannot be described simply as patrilineally oriented. Both immigrant and native-born women show a strong tendency to be bilateral in family relations.;While a wife's wages may play an important role in a family's survival, it does not generally translate directly into increased power or changes in patriarchal orientation. More important in terms of a woman's power is the effect of the value that society places on the position of women, and the opportunities made available for women by a society. Nativity is also important. Where a woman was born and raised is directly related to variation in patriarchal beliefs and practices. Native-born women are less patriarchally oriented and more egalitarian in spousal relations than immigrants.;Because of the changes in the socio-economic cultural environment of China, when a woman was born and her level of education are related to variation in patriarchal- patrilineal attitudes and behaviors. Older immigrants (born before the founding of the People's Republic of China) are more conservative than younger immigrants, with the exception of older college educated women. Younger immigrant women, because of generally greater exposure to Western values exhibit attitudes and behaviors which are less patriarchal than those of older immigrant women.;What this study demonstrates is the necessity of incorporating the female perspective into any study of the family if we are to understand the dynamics of family relations, gender, and employment. Thus my research contributes to an understanding of the interrelationship among economic factors, ideology and social behavior in the Chinese American family in particular and the institution of the family generally.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
