Mexican Family Diversity

My social location like most people has been shaped by the environment I am in and the people involved in it. Growing up as a Hispanic-American female, in America has been very difficult, as I often have to battle within myself for what values or roles from both my cultures I want to follow. As a Hispanic female, I have been raise with the idea that women are supposed to be submissive and have been taught since early age what roles women play in marriage. I have also been taught that education is not as important as creating a family (Rendon, 1992).

Coming from a Mexican based family, most of my family are native to Mexico along with my parents. My mother, Maricela Fernandez, born in Mexicali, Mexico and my father, Julio Jaquez, born in Texas, originally raised in Sinaloa, Mexico.The “American Dream” is prevalent in every Mexican family who craves a better life for their family and themselves. The idea that every US citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination and initiative; that was what my family was after for.

Growing up in a Hispanic household has taught me many things. I have learned to see things as an optimistic person, and that it doesn’t matter where you come from as long as you work hard for what you want anything is possible. My family has always implemented the values of life that lead me to perceive what it was about to throw at me.

Depending on the situation, if a task is viewed as more masculine, then the males of the family, when they come of age, are expected to complete them. On the other hand, if the task is viewed as more feminine, then the women in the households are expected to undertake those chores. The actions required in the family vary from household chores to providing for everyone. The most often talked about gender role in the Hispanic culture is the male in the family being the

Throughout my life, being Hispanic has always meant family and unity. I was born into a Mexican family on my mother's side; we would often gather together for family parties, events, and holidays. Our lives are intertwined with each other; if something significant happened to an individual in the family, a majority of the family would be involved. My family usually gathers together to celebrate major holidays, but this past year I witnessed relatives assembling during a difficult farewell.

Growing up in a Hispanic household has its ups and downs. As a first generation Latina, I have family members that are always encouraging me, wanting the best for me, and pushing me to succeed in life so that I don't go through the same hardships that they went through. I have seen struggles my parents have gone through to get to where they are now, but giving it their all to giving my siblings and I the best.

According to Giger, “in 2000, 70% of Mexican-American families were married couple families” (Giger, 2008). Of that 70%, 21% were female-headed households (Giger, 2008). That is significant. For one thing, this shows how far they have come as a culture, to assert female dominance in a household.

From the moment we are born , our genders have giving others a certain expectation from each and every one of us . Women are usually expected to look to know how to cook and clean , to have children and stay home to take care of them they are to aspire to be a perfect wife for their future husband . Men are expect to take care of their family by bringing a good amount of money home each day and with that pay the bills . Even though most of us probably don't see things like this , maybe some of our family members still do and they go by these false perceptions that society has put on all of us since the day we are born . I know that my family does and maybe yours does too , speaking from experience I know how tiring it is to hear the same things being repeated to you almost your whole life or doing things you just don't want to do. Many children are raised in a household where they are taught to follow these expectations created by society . Including myself , I have always been told there is a certain expectation from me as a women that I should get used to cleaning the house and cooking a meal because if I cant't do those tasks , no man will want to be with me . Which I find infuriating , i should not be expected to take a care of another who can take care of themselves and if I were to , it would be my choice not because i am expected to do so , due to my gender . That doesn't go for just women, but men too. It's not fair that men are expected to pay for the bills , rent

Growing up in a family of Hispanic descent, there were always defendant roles for the males and the females. The males were expected to get a job and make the money to support the family. The females were expected to stay home and care for the children and do all the household chores. Dillard comments his mother only ran the household (284). The males were not allowed in the kitchen and the females were expected to have the table set and dinner ready when the males arrived home from work. I remember going to my grandmother’s house for dinner and all the males would be sitting down eating, while the females waited on them hand and foot. When all the males had finished eating, they would leave their empty plates on the table for the females

I come from a very conservative Mexican household. That being said there were certain guidelines or roles that each gender had to follow. I come from a family of five, and we consist of 2 males and 3 females. Being a female, that meant that I was expected to do the household chores, the cooking of the house, and care for younger siblings. While we were expected to do that, my brothers didn’t have an obligation to do any of the responsibilities we were held accountable to. Although, they were expected to have jobs at an early age to help and provide income for the family.

In the community I currently live in, we are known as a big and growing urban area of mostly Hispanic families. Most of the neighbors and gathering community express their roots, such as making parties in their front or backyard, but mainly for the children. They will have the usual piñata hanging from the tree, blasting mariachi or norteña music, having that outside cookout and just having a good time. Also, the predominant religion seen in Hispanic families is Catholicism, and they have a tradition of attending church every Sunday. I am Hispanic myself, being born here in the United States, from two Mexican parents, and we for sure do all those things mentioned above. I have learned that the Texas Senator from District 23 I currently reside

they have to it, and lure of the “adolescent peer culture, and aspirations to join the American mainstream culture”(Munguia, 7). In addition, the parents of the immigrant students and other members of the family have very different understandings and attitudes about the American school system and how they operate. Some of these ideas and thinking reflects the parents/family member’s own experiences with schools, cultural and religious values, and the reasons why they left their country of origin to come to the United States. Correspondingly, their involvement and engagement with the inside their homes, new culture and with the school can vary. Moreover, if the youngsters learn to cope in the new environment faster than their parents do, they

Our family history is rooted in Texas and Mexico. Discussing our family history with my parents and relatives I have found that my grand-parents and great grandparents were born and raised in Texas. They moved back and forth between Mexico and Texas for work. Both sides of our family always sought work and better opportunities for their families. Our families have been made up of strong men who worked mostly as laborers. My grandfathers and great-grand fathers worked in cotton fields, as ranch hands, migrant workers known as “Campesinos”, “Brazeros” or laborers, sheered sheep and have even been grave diggers. Working in many different manual labors in the Del Rio, Austin and Hill Country area of Brady and Seguin, always working hard for their families. During the depression in America, my

As history reveals, economically, Hispanic families often consisted of various children in order to continue the bloodline and to provide the family with free laborers; however, religiously, Hispanics since they are Catholic, they did not believe in contraceptives. Moreover, in many Hispanic households the male was often the head of the household and the woman did not make any decisions; therefore, the men often made decisions in regards to the couples sexual interactions and how many children the woman was to bear—“machismo”. Unfortunately, many Hispanics have continued to pass down their traditional views to today’s generations of Hispanics, which has been adopted alongside of American values and customs. As a result, many Hispanic children have matured confused in regards to what they must believe and

Looking back on my childhood, the experiences that have shaped and molded into the person I am today were immensely influenced from my mother. Women from vast cultures are expected to be subordinate and tend to be oppressed by the men in their lives, and this was no different in my mother’s case coming from a Latin culture. Growing up, I witnessed my mother being subjected to the traditional gender role that handicapped her in gaining her own independence outside of my father. She was expected to be submissive, stay home, raise the children, clean the house, have dinner waiting when my father got home. She wasn’t “allowed” to work because my father didn’t want her interacting with other men, nor did he want her to earn her own money because this would make her less dependent of him. Yet it was common knowledge that my father had extramarital affairs and everyone turned a blind eye. She had to ask for permission before leaving the house and in the instances that she didn’t, it always resulted in hostile arguments between them where I would fear for the safety of my mother.