Transformations of La Familia on the U.S.-Mexico Border

Highdesert

Description

No international relationship of the United States is as encumbered by history, geography, culture, language, and economics as the one with Mexico. Given the scale and importance of the flow of commerce and culture across the border, however, surprisingly few studies have examined the micro-level impact of border immigration patterns, economic systems, and policies on families in the region. Recognizing this void, the women scholars represented here—all of whom have studied and lived near la frontera—explore the complexity of border dynamics. They offer a well-rounded portrayal of Latino families and their response to changes at the border.

The authors focus primarily on women and changes within families on the border—in response to women's economic strategies, labor market participation, and interactions with relatives and others. Quantitative chapters provide demographic analyses of population changes in new immigrant areas, the conditions of children and families along the border, and the work patterns of border families and women entrepreneurs. Qualitative chapters provide insights into the rites of passage celebrated across borders and the transnational lives of women and their families. The volume concludes with recommendations for collaborative U.S.-Mexico border policies that support families.

Sujets

• Ethnic Studies
• Social Science
• HISTORY
• Sociologie, société et politique
• México
• Latino studies
• Hispanic and Latino Americans
• Emigration
• General officer
• Latin America
• General
• Latina
• Mexico
• Immigration

Informations

• Publié par: University of Notre Dame Press
• Date de parution: 01 avril 2008
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780268086756
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 13 Mo

Extrait

Transformations of La Familia on the U.S.-Mexico BorderLATINO PERSPECTIVES
Gilberto Cárdenas, series editor
The Institute for Latino Studies, in keeping with the distinctive
mission, values, and traditions of the University of Notre Dame,
promotes understanding and appreciation of the social, cultural,
and religious life of U.S. Latinos through advancing research,
expanding knowledge, and strengthening community.Marquez samples 4/14/08 3:49 PM Page iii
Transformations of
La Familia
on the U.S.-Mexico Border
Edited by
Raquel R. Márquez
and
Harriett D. Romo
University of Notre Dame Press
Notre Dame, IndianaCopyright © 2008 by University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, Indiana 46556
www.undpress.nd.edu
All Rights Reserved
Manufactured in the United States of America
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Transformations of la familia on the U.S.-Mexico border /
edited by Raquel R. Márquez and Harriett D. Romo.
p. cm. — (Latino perspectives)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-268-03509-9 (pbk. : alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 0-268-03509-1 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Family—Mexican-American Border Region. 2. Mexican American
women—Mexican-American Border Region—Social conditions.
3. Women immigrants—Mexican-American Border Region—
Social conditions. I. Márquez, Raquel R. II. Romo, Harriett.
HQ549.T73 2008
306.850972'1—dc22
2008010456
∞ The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability
of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council
on Library Resources.To the women who lovingly and skillfully shape the lives of
their families along the U.S.-Mexico border, as well as to our
own mothers and daughtersCONTENTS
List of Tables and Figures ix
Acknowledgments xiii
Introduction 1
Raquel R. Márquez and Harriett D. Romo
CHAPTER ONE
A Demographic Profi le of Children and Families in the 29
U.S.-Mexico Border Region
Yolanda C. Padilla and Ana Marie Argilagos
CHAPTER TWO
An Overview of Children and Youth on the Northern 53
Mexican Border
Catalina Palmer
CHAPTER THREE
The Extended Border: A Case Study of San Antonio as 77
a Transnational City
Harriett D. Romo
CHAPTER FOUR
The Complex Picture of Cities near the U.S.-Mexico Border: 105
The Case of Southern California
Belinda I. Reyes and Amanda G. Baileyviii Contents
CHAPTER FIVE
Maquiladora or Cross-Border Commute: The Employment 131
of Members of Households in Five Mexican Border Cities
Marie-Laure Coubès
CHAPTER SIX
Transborder Interactions and Transnational Processes in 163
the Border Community of Laredo, Texas
Raquel R. Márquez
CHAPTER SEVEN
Coming of Age across Borders: Family, Gender, and Place in 185
the Lives of Second-Generation Transnational Mexicanas
Patricia Sánchez
CHAPTER EIGHT
“I’m Bien Pocha”: Borderlands Epistemologies and the Teaching 209
of English in Mexico
Mary A. Petrón
CHAPTER NINE
The Real and the Symbolic: Visualizing Border Spaces 233
Amelia Malagamba-Ansótegui
CHAPTER TEN
Latina Entrepreneurship in the Borderlands: Family Well-Being 255
and Poverty Reduction Policies
Bárbara J. Robles
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Public Policy Changes on the U.S.-Mexico Border 289
Irasema Coronado
Contributors 309
Index 311LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES
Tables
Table 1.1 Population Distribution in Border Counties by Age and
Race/Ethnicity 34
Table 1.2 Immigration Characteristics, Citizenship, and Language
Fluency 37
Table 1.3 Percent of Latino Children in Poverty by County and by
the Non-Border Region of Each Respective Southwestern
State 41
Table 1.4 Labor-Force Participation and Family Structure 43
Table 1.5 Low Birth Weight, Infant Mortality, and Teenage
Pregnancy in Border Counties of the Southwestern States
Compared to U.S. and Non-Border Rates 44
Table 2.1 Population in the Northern Mexican Border States and
Municipios (Municipalities) 56
Table 2.2 Indicators about Migration to the United States by States
of Mexico: Level of Migratory Intensity, 2000 59
Table 2.3 Estimations of Migrating Population in the North of
Mexico: Total and 15–19 Age Group 61
Table 2.4 Indicators of Education for the Northern Border States of
Mexico during the School Cycle, 2003–2004 66
Table 2.5 Number and Proportion of Teenage Girls 15–19 Who
Have Had a Child Born Alive in the Northern Border
States of Mexico, 2000 71
ixx Tables and Figures
Table 4.1 Foreign-Born Population in Southern California Cities by
Their Respective County 110
Table 4.2 Ethnic Distribution in Southern California Cities by Their
Respective County 111
Table 4.3 Households and Children in Southern California Cities
by Their Respective County 112
Table 4.4 Commuting and Public Transportation in Cities in
Southern California 122
Table 4.5 Income, Poverty, and Unemployment in Southern
California Cities by Their Respective County, 1979 and
1999 124
Table 5.1 Categories and Variables of Analysis, 1998–2001 139
Table 5.2 Type of Employment Matrix for Household Members in
Five Border Cities 150
Table 5.3 Sample Size ENEU, 2001, Second Quarter 153
Table 5.4 Household Members (Percentage) by Kinship and Age
Groups 154
Table 5.5 Percentage of Workers by Type of Employment and
Kinship 154
Table 6.1 Laredo Border Women Demographics 165
Table 6.2 Overview of Border Counties along the Texas-Mexico
Border 169
Table 6.3 Laredo MSA/Webb County Health Statistics 173
Table 10.1 Growth in Latina-Owned Businesses, Border States,
1997–2002 262
Table 10.2 Socioeconomic Indicators for Border States, 2000 269
Figures
Figure 1.1 Poverty Rate among Latino and Non-Latino White
Children in Border Counties Compared to U.S. Rates 40Tables and Figures xi
Figure 1.2 High-School Dropout Rates of Latino and Non-Latino
Youth (Ages 16–19) in Border Counties Compared to
U.S. Rates 46
Figure 1.3 Rates of Latino and Non-Latino Youth (Ages 16–19) Not
Working and Not in School in Border Counties
Compared to U.S. Rates 46
Figure 2.1 Percentage of Youth 18–19 Years Old Who Do Not Work
and Do Not Go to School vs. Percentage of Homes That
Receive Remittances, by States of Mexico, 2000 70
Figure 4.1 Location and Population of Incorporated Cities in
Southern California 108
Figure 4.2 Median Growth in the Cities’ Population, Foreign-Born
Residents, and Number of Housing Units by County,
1980–2000 114
Figure 4.3 Average Median Home Value and Rental Prices for All
Cities in Each County, 2000 116
Figure 4.4 Employment Growth by City, 1980–2000 117
Figure 4.5 Occupational Distribution for the Average City in Each
County, 1980 and 2000 119
Figure 4.6 Proportion of Population Spending over 35 Percent of
Income on Rent in the Average City by Their Respective 121
Figure 4.7 Categories of Cities Based on Poverty, Unemployment,
and Income Level 125
Figure 4.8 Educational Attainment of Adults and English
Proficiency in the Average City by Their Respective County,
1980 and 2000 127
Figure 5.1 Economic Participation Rates by Kinship and City,
1998–2001 140
Figure 5.2 Percentage of Workers Employed in Maquiladoras by
Kinship and City, 1998–2001 143
Figure 5.3 Percentage of Cross-Border Commuters by Kinship and
City, 1998–2001 145xii Tables and Figures
Figure 5.4 Percentage of Marginal Employment by Kinship and City,
1998–2001 147
Figure 5.5 Percentage of Workers in Informal Business by Kinship
and City, 1998–2001 149
(Figures 9.1–9.5 are works of art.)
Figure 9.1 Malaquías Montoya, Undocumented, 1981. Serigraph.
Collection of Gilberto Cárdenas. By permission of the
artist. 239
Figure 9.2 Luis Montenegro, Llegué del Otro Lado, 1993. Monotype.
Private Collection. By permission of the artist. 240
Figure 9.3 Ester Hernández, Border Flower, 1994. Monoserigraph. 241
Figure 9.4 Patssi Valdéz, LA/TJ, 1987. Serigraph. Collection of
Gilberto Cárdenas. By permission of the artist. 243
Figure 9.5 Marcos Ramírez, El Erre, Toy-an-Horse, 1997. Site-specifi c
installation. In inSITE97, Tiempo Privado en Espacio Público/
Private Time in Public Space, San Diego/Tijuana, 1998. By
permission of the artist. 247
Figure 10.1 Borderlands Self-Employment, 1997–2001 261
Figure 10.2 Metro Borderlands Self-Employment, 1997–2001 263
Figure 10.3 Latina Businesses by Economic Sector, 2002 264
Figure 10.4 Borderlands High-School Completion Rates for U.S.
Population 25 Years and Over, 2000 271
Figure 10.5 Borderlands Poverty Rates, 2000 272
Figure 10.6 Latina Native-Born and Immigrant Entrepreneurs
Involving Family in Enterprise by Generation, 2000 276ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We wish to thank Ana Marie Argilagos, senior consultant,
Planning, Research, and Development Unit, Southwest Border/Indian
Country, and the Annie E. Casey Foundation for funding the Working
Group on Families on the Bo