Latin American Perspectives
Volume 35, Issue 1, 2008, Pages 51-63

Gender, race, and nationality in the making of Mexican migrant labor in the United States (Article)

Karjanen D.*
  • a Department of American Studies, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States

Abstract

Gender ideologies and race and nationality among employers and employees are important in reproducing migrant Mexican workers' status in a segmented U.S. labor market. A survey of 110 employers combined with interviews shows how gender, race, and nationality are reproduced within and outside of the workplace. Employers prefer Mexican workers because of what they feel is a stronger work ethic among recent immigrants, but these preferences are influenced by preexisting ideas about native-born and black workers. Immigrant men are seen as "providers" while Mexican women are seen as good, docile workers except when they have "domestic" issues such as families. © 2008 Latin American Perspectives.

Author Keywords

Migration Employers Gender ideologies Labor markets Racialization

Index Keywords

national identity labor migration ideology race labor market United States migrant worker North America gender

Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-37449026211&doi=10.1177%2f0094582X07310957&partnerID=40&md5=99625798a2d13e619106c9b82a8fa828

DOI: 10.1177/0094582X07310957
ISSN: 0094582X
Cited by: 16
Original Language: English