Author: Gloria Arfelis

Publisher:

Published: 1997

Total Pages: 290

ISBN-13:

This study examines how the acculturation process of immigrant, college educated Latin American women influences their gender-role values and ethnic identity. Additionally, this study explores the process by which immigrant, college educated Latin American women acculturate to American mainstream culture and eventually become biculturally competent. The following issues are explored: (1) Factors that foster/hinder the acculturation process; (2) Factors that promote/hinder bicultural competence; (3) The effects of the acculturation process on Latin American women's ethnic identity development (specifically, self-identification, sense of belonging, and ethnic behaviors and practices); and (4) The effects of acculturation on Latin American women's gender-role attitudes and behaviors. Utilizing a sample of five women of South American origin, the author obtained qualitative data from a semi-structured interview questionnaire and quantitative data from the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (Phinney, 1992). A qualitative analysis of the data was done utilizing the Acculturation model of J. Berry (1992) and the Ethnic Identity Development model of J. Phinney (1990). Subjects reported that their acculturation process had enhanced their awareness of racial and ethnic issues, and had increased their interest and appreciation for their cultural heritage. However, some subjects expressed some confusion regarding their minority group status. All subjects reported a strong ethnic affiliation to their native group and affirmed that they felt biculturally competent. Yet, the subjects used different ethnic labels to identity themselves and attributed different meanings to their ethnic labels. All subjects reported liberal gender-roles, which they attributed to several factors, such as education, family upbringing, religion, social class, and work experiences. Thus, acculturation alone did not appear to explain the gender-role values and beliefs held by immigrant, college educated Latin American women. Findings of this study suggest that middle-class, foreign-born Latin American women confront specific issues that may differ from the issues confronted by American-born Latin American populations, such as their strong connection to their original ethno-group and their difficulty fitting in with lower class Hispanic groups in this country.