The question that Eden posed is a very good one, and actually one that I had been wondering about myself while reading. I think that the role of women definitely changed as time went on and conditions got worse, but I also think that their social position was, in fact, changed for the better. Yes, the immigrant women often times had no choice but to work in garment shops or things of the like, but this was still better than nothing. Before the women started to work outside the home, their “only” duties were assumed to be taking care of the children, house, and boarders. So certainly, getting out of the house and being able to help support themselves and their families was a step up. As a few women mentioned in the readings, making money themselves allowed them to assert a bit more independence, and therefore, opened the doors for them to insist that the men in their lives take up some household responsibilities. Without the need for these immigrant women to work, no matter how grueling the work or low-paying the position, it is very probable that immigrant women today might still be expected to stay at home and deal with all of the household chores and family upkeep.
I found it interesting that a number of women hated when they were out of work. They were bored, lonely, and felt that they had even more work at home than they did in the shops! On a slightly different note, we all know the saying “Beggars can’t be choosers.” This ran through my mind a few times while reading about how some immigrants opted out of taking a certain job because they were afraid of what social stigmatisms might be attached to it. If these people were so desperate to get some money for things such as food and a place to live, one would think that they would take any position they could find! However, I do have to wonder what I would do were I in their place.
Touching upon what Jacqueline said, the use of social networks was very popular among new immigrants, especially the Chinese and Koreans. I think that I would be extremely grateful to be the one introduced to an open position at a garment factory, in the case of the Chinese especially, but I don’t know how quickly I would bring my friends and family into the shop for fear of losing my own job. As for the Koreans, I don’t think I would be so trusting of kyes and the people involved with them. While the idea seems great, the risk of losing so much might be too much for me, and push me away from dabbling in such a resource. However, it was very heart-warming to read of all the ways that the immigrants helped one another. Aside from the African Americans, each ethnic group mentioned in the readings this week seemed to rely very heavily on the help received from friends and relatives. It’s nice to see that people who had so little were still willing to help those they knew and loved.
