Kinship Ties of Mexican Migrant Women on the United States/Mexico Border

Abstract

This paper explored the migration processes and cross-cultural experiences of female Japanese settlers in British society. The motivations of the women to migrate to Britain varied widely but were driven least by economic incentives. Many women moved on their own and of their own will in order to maximise their well-being and enhance their life chances. The Japanese social system, emphasising gender roles and family-orientation, was one of the strongest reasons for encouraging the women to seek alternative lifestyles. This paper also aimed the link with current issues facing an ageing society - in particular, the women’s views concerning their old age and factors influencing their decision-making processes. Their choice of residence in later life between Japan and Britain was likely to reflect their family relations and social networks as well as their employment history in both countries. Also, as they grew older in a foreign society, care issues were increasingly of their concern. The expectation for family support from their adult children who were brought up in British society were not great, reflecting the value of independence and the available social security systems and services. The paper concluded with various thoughts of how their ‘ethnic needs’ could be met in the host society. The study explored the effect of three social factors - immigration, ethnicity and religiosity on cohabitation and attitudes toward cohabitation, in Israel. Additionally, it examined the linkage between attitudes toward cohabitation and reported cohabiting behavior. Data was based on a national representative sample of 1,180 longterm Israeli residents and 870 immigrants from the Former Soviet Union. Immigration and religiosity were found to impact on behavior and attitudes regarding cohabitation,’ whereas ethnicity had no such effect. An interaction effect between immigration and ethnicity indicated that ethnicity has a stronger influence on migrant attitudes. Attitudes were found to have a mediating effect on the Impact of immigration and religiosity on cohabitation. Explanations for the findings are based on the divergence between the cultural contexts of both countries - Israel and the Former Soviet Union - and on immigration as a stressful life-event for the individual and his family.