Immigrant Experiences of Irish and Mexican Women, Research Paper Example

American immigrant life in the nineteenth and twentieth century is historically rich with gender parallels and economic inequalities. Migration into a new country meant leaving ancestral heritage behind and establishing new ones. Families immigrating together worked to keep members together while establishing new relationships and familial traditions. The differing country origin often determined the transition into new jobs and roles within the family unit and society. The background also played a role in the treatment of immigrating men and women. While history has been genderless in some descriptions of the immigrant life, men and women were treated differently and faced similar and vast disparity in treatment. Hasia R. Diner’s Erin’s Daughters in America and Vicki L. Ruiz’s Cannery Women/Cannery Lives provide historical detail and a colorful depiction of Irish and Mexican women immigration experiences.

The decision to leave a person’s homeland and travel great distances to a new country will depend largely on the specific individual situation. In the nineteenth century money and opportunity were the prevailing reason for many immigrants. America was considered a rich country with endless opportunities. Living in poverty without a way to break free is reason enough for many families to leave a life of despair for the dream of a better life. Parents of all cultures want more for their children and the promise of opportunities and better living conditions prompted many families to take a chance and migrate.

However, just moving was not enough and families entering American had to begin at the bottom and work their way up; facing hardships and discrimination. The country from which they immigrated seemed to determine the roles of acceptance Americans dictated.  Women in particular were compartmentalized depending on their homeland.  “A woman’s origins opened a specific range of migration choices and of opportunities for adjusting to life in the United States as an immigrant” (Gabaccia, 1994, intro xii). A person’s class and time period also determined the distinction of experiences for all immigrants.

Irish women migrating into America stereotypically were seen as domestic servants. Diner illustrates her belief that they preferred this type of work through a long history of traditional values held in their ethnicity; bringing with them “an ethos of gender hospitality” Diner, 1983, p. 27).  The Irish women came to America and worked hard to earn money to help support their family and build Irish-Catholic churches and schools. Irish women’s role in the family was one of care giving and economic participation. Diner (1983) describes a self-view of themselves as self-sufficient holding economic roles to play in their families and communities (intro xiv). They held religions convictions tightly and were involved in community work and church participation.

The great Famine of the late 1840’s paved the way for much of Irish immigrations. Marriage was infrequent with Catholicism leading many to celibacy and young women began to see America as a place for marriage or employment. This was not the case earlier when men and women married spontaneously “feeling that their condition cannot be made worse, or rather, they know they can lose nothing, and they promise themselves some pleasure in the society of a wife” (Diner, 1983, p. 6). The Famine changed this and the population declined greatly as more women migrated to America.

Discrimination was clearly felt at the entry points of New York and Boston. Due to heavy immigration numbers it strained the economy creating resentment and negative attitudes. Some changed their last names and worked to lose their Irish accents to be accepted (The History Place, 2000). Men were seen as lazy; although this was due to the population overgrowth brought on by the immigration. Irish women found work more easily due to the nature of the work. Irish women received no help or benefits from charities or churches but through perseverance and determination fought to attain personal, financial and societal success.

Irish women who entered America are given the praise for bringing in a culture of family and tradition through the years. The hard work they endured to make a better life was successfully attained for the generations to come. As Irish women became Irish-American and then simply a part of being an American, some traditions died while many flourished and became a part of their American heritage. Other ethnic groups entering America had differing experiences. Each ethnic group brought traditions which also contributed to the growth and maturity of America.

The history of Mexican women migrating to the United States has a younger history; beginning in the early twentieth century. Between 1920 and 1930 the number of Mexicans living in Los Angeles tripled as families moved to escape the political and economic chaos resulting from the Mexican Revolution (Ruiz, 1987, p. 5). Mexico and the United States shared land side by side, separated by the Border. Originally in 1610 the founding of Santa Fe, New Mexico, Spanish speaking people fashioned the region now known as the American Southwest (Ruiz, 1987, p. 1). The immigration of families from Mexico did not begin until later than those of Irish descent.

Differing from the Irish singleton lifestyle, Mexican men and women married and reproduced. They were closely intertwined and worked hard together. Women contributed also economically and worked in agriculture and food processing or performing domestic duties including sewing, ironing and washing (Ruiz, 1987, p. 4).  Many families were forced to live in poverty conditions and crowding the members of the family into huts and bungalows designed for smaller numbers of people. Many were without plumbing and electricity. Mexicans were discriminated against and were often seen as unclean. Segregation practices were held to some degree such as only allowing them to swim one day a week at public places; just before they drained the pool (Ruiz, 1987, p. 12). Separate schools were in place to set apart the ethic cultures.

As the need for money increased women began to find jobs in local cannery factories. “In many instances, women’s wage labor provided the safety net or extra edge in their families’ day-to-day confrontation with poverty” (Ruiz, 1987, p. 9).  During the late 1880s the number of Mexican women in the workforce in food processing companies grew rapidly. However, canneries and packing houses paid differently depending on gender and ethnic backgrounds. While males were paid per the hour no matter how productive, women were paid based upon the work produced. Mexican women held the lowest position on the production line placing them at the highest discriminated against class (Ruiz, 1987, p. 21). However, women made a huge influence on the developments and success of the industry.

This fact did little to change the attitudes of supervisors and the negative attitudes in general towards Mexican women workers. A majority stereotyped them to be slow and poor workers. The few who recognized their hard work still could not get past the discrimination against their ethnic background. As these women worked side by side, understanding the hardships each faced, a form of camaraderie began; ‘women’s culture’ (Ruiz, 1987, pg. 32). Sharing family stories, exchanging gossip and general thoughts, dreams and desires, these women began to support each other. Not just the Mexican women, but all ethnic backgrounds began to work as a team.

Working the lines and understanding the specifics of time and detail to food processing enabled these smart and dedicated women to prove hard labor is more than just physical work. Without the perseverance and commitment of these individuals, the industry would not have developed as successfully as history outlines. In time, women began to compete with men in cannery jobs and quickly began to replace them.  By the 1960s Irish women in San Francisco joined the legion of Mexican and other ethnicities to replace men as canner operatives (Ruiz, 1987, p. 24).

This working team of women soon had a cannery culture developing. “This was an intermingling and at time collective resistance and change” (Ruiz, 1987, p. 32). With women dominating the workforce in food processing at approximately 75 percent of the total population of workers, a shift began to take place in how workplace conditions and wages were unfair and an inequity between workers became a focus.

Conditions within the canneries were dangerous and in today’s standards completely unacceptable. The term ‘sweatshops’ is comparable to the conditions they suffered. Mexican women in particular would place themselves at risk while pushing to meet production standards working under a price rate salary and high quotas. Interestingly, while placing high demands, management would withhold supplies and equipment so the women could not be productive. Some women used their hands as hammers when “the employers took their hammers away from them – they were making too much money” (Ruiz, 1987, pg. 38). With harsh conditions, tyrannical supervisors, hazardous machinery and inhuman pressure placed on production, the workers began to unite for better conditions.

By 1940 the United Cannery, Agricultural, Packing and Allied Workers of America (UCAPAWA) was formed and specifically recruited women to serve in leadership roles. The cannery workers were given a union to start negotiating better working conditions, wages and benefits.  As this union developed women made up approximately one-half of the membership and became assertive in fighting for rights and contract negotiations. The efforts of establishing a democratic union with involvement and active participation by women demonstrates the strength of these individuals and their insistence to care and provide for their families and coworkers.

The union meant equal pay for women and the addition of benefits. Leaves of absences were established to be provided without retaliation from management. UCAPAWA worked with a real commitment to paving the way for better working conditions. The goal was to engage women specifically and develop methods for the working class to have full involvement in the decisions of the company in terms of work and production related matters. Employee empowerment is common today, however, in the early twentieth century it was a rebel idea. Women worked hard through this decade to right the wrongs of the past and create better conditions for the next generations.

Emigrating from one’s homeland is at best a difficult decision based on complex conditions. Through the 1987s the history of both Irish and Mexican women migrating to America has demonstrated the positive contributions they have provided. The political, social and economic challenges faced by immigration to a new country can place a hardship on individuals and families. From a feminine point of view, it appears Vicki Ruiz and Hasia Diner has provided rich documentation of the difficulties and dedication of varying ethnic backgrounds of women. The role of women in their families, society and the workplace have changed throughout the years, however, their roles have remained important in workplace conditions and heritage in society.

Hasia R. Diner’s Erin’s Daughters in America and Vicki L. Ruiz’s Cannery Women/Cannery Lives documents the women of Ireland and Mexico respectfully and the emotion, dedication and perseverance these women had. Refusing to give up, they founded living and working conditions through the decades. Today in America there are many ethnic cultures living in all areas of the United States. The history detailed in these two books provide an insight to how difficult it is to completely start a new life under persecution and discrimination. Diner and Ruiz have provided not only a historical account of women through the centuries but also provide the reminder of how difficult conditions can be for differing ethnicities.

References

Diner, H. R. (1983). Erin’s Daughters in America. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press.

Gabaccia, D. R. (1994). From the Other Side: Women, Gender, and Immigrate Life in the U.S., 1820-1990. United States of America: Indiana University Press. Retrieved January 23, 2010, from http://books.google.com/books?id=uXK_PkdpFoMC&pg=PA141&dq=review+of+erin%27s+daughters+in+america&cd=2#v=onepage&q=review%20of%20erin%27s%20daughters%20in%20america&f=false

Ruiz, V. L. (1987). Cannery Women/Cannery Lives. United States of America: University of New Mexico Press.

The History Place (2000). Irish Potato Famine: Gone to America. Retrieved January 23, 2010, from http://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/famine/america.htm