The Oppression of Latina Mothers: Experiences of Exploitation, Violence, Marginalization, Cultural Imperialism and Powerlessness in Their Everyday Lives

Introduction: Women migrating to the US are often escaping oppression and violence, just to experience the same when they arrive (Arguelles & Rivero, 1993; Gonzalez-Lopez, 2007). When considering Latina women’s oppression, it is important to consider the intersections of gender, motherhood, language, citizenship status, socioeconomic status and other social factors that exacerbate inequality (Crenshaw, 1993; Menjivar, 2011). Social, economic and institutional factors will differentially impact Latina women’s fear of deportation and ability to utilize systems that may be protective (Salcido & Menjivar, 2012). Informed by intersectionality theory and an oppression framework, this paper examines the experiences of Latina immigrant mothers following the passage of restrictive state-level immigration policies.

Methods:  Participants were recruited from three non-profit community organizations that serve Latino families in Arizona. Forty-three Latina mothers participated in in-depth, semi-structured interviews that included questions about women’s experiences of discrimination in a state that recently passed restrictive immigration policies. Informed by the forms of oppression framework (Young, 1990; Peace 2002) we categorized participants’ experiences as exploitation, violence, marginalization, cultural imperialism, and powerlessness. Then, guided by grounded theory, a constant comparative approach was used while completing initial and focused coding. For trustworthiness, the analysis was completed by four team members to reduce researcher bias and substantial quotes support the credibility of the findings.   

Results:  Participants were first-generation Latina immigrant mothers from Mexico. On average, they had lived in the U.S. 13.28 years (SD=4.23) and had 3 children (SD=1.48). Participants reported exploitation in the work place through differential expectations, poor working conditions, and lower wages. Participants reported economic exploitation in their communities. Latinas experienced violence in the workplace through verbal abuse (“wetback,” “beaner”), threats of deportation, job insecurity (“if you don’t like it, there’s the door”), sexual harassment (“you smell good, what kind of perfume is that?”), and bullying. Within their community they experienced threats of deportation by neighbors and horizontal violence (“they cut my hair and punched me”). Latinas were marginalized through limited participation in social services, inability to continue their education, and inability to work due to e-verify. They experienced cultural imperialism as they are expected to speak English and scolded when they speak Spanish.  In most cases, Latinas feel powerlessness due to their documentation status (“you feel helpless because you don’t have papers so you can’t do anything”) or limited English proficiency as they fear deportation, losing their job, and do not trust police.  These experiences impact Latinas ability to actively participate in the U.S. society, impacting them directly and their children indirectly.

Discussion and Implications:  When a woman’s phenotype and language identify her as Latina, regardless of immigration status, members of the dominant social group may feel entitled to treat her or her loved ones as criminal (Menjivar, 2011). Efforts are needed to promote gender equality in the workplace through law and policy; in particular, to reduce the exploitation, violence, and harassment that Latinas endure.  Social workers can facilitate dialog among women to promote their empowerment and resistance in the context of knowledge about their rights.