Transnational Motherhood and Daughterhood: Reimagining Familial and Gender Roles Across Borders Through Mexican and Brazilian Women’s Oral Histories Público
Morales, Regina (Spring 2023)
Published
Abstract
In the 1980s and 1990s, Mexican and Brazilian women began to migrate to the United States in large numbers, with many of them searching for job opportunities. Migrating to a new country is a costly task, so many of these women made the difficult decision of leaving their children in their origin countries which led to them becoming transnational mothers. Transnational mothers are women who reside and work in a different country while their children stay in the mother’s origin country. Transnational motherhood developed into an important topic in the study about gendered migration patterns, but these women’s roles as daughters are not discussed as often. Migrant women may also fulfill the role of transnational daughters, and they confront unique obstacles in this role. In this thesis, I conducted four oral histories with Mexican and Brazilian women living in Atlanta and Maryland to observe how their beliefs about their mother or daughter roles shift (or not), as well as their beliefs about gender roles, with their transnational experience. I also look at how these women perform their familial role across borders despite the physical distance between families. Oral histories were conducted with the intention of listening and learning from the women that live through the transnational experience. I conclude that these women’s experiences with maternal figures throughout childhood informed the ways they perform and think about their roles as women and as mothers or daughters. To practice their roles, the four women rely heavily on technology to maintain their relationships. Despite their differences in language and nationality, the Mexican and Brazilian women interviewed share similar experiences in what they were taught about womanhood, motherhood, and daughterhood.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction………………………………………………………………………….1
Defining the Terminology……………………………………………………………….3
What is Transnational Motherhood?.................................................................................3
What is Transnational Daughterhood?..............................................................................6
Gender Expectations for Latin American Women………………………………………8
Transnational Care Constellations and Caregiving……………………………………..10
Chapter 2: Methodology………………………………………………………………………...12
Positionality……………………………………………………………………………..12
Background on Oral Histories…………………………………………………………..14
Guidelines for Conducting Oral Histories………………………………………………18
My Approach to Oral Histories for this Thesis………………………………………….21
Chapter 3: Summaries of Oral Histories………………………………………………………...27
Doralis…………………………………………………………………………………...28
Lory……………………………………………………………………………………...30
Francineide………………………………………………………………………………34
Gaby……………………………………………………………………………………..36
Chapter 4: Analysis of Oral Histories…………………………………………………………...41
Housewife, Stay at Home Mother, or Working Woman?.................................................41
The Transnational Experience and Performing Roles Across Borders…………………50
Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………53
Appendix………………………………………………………………………………………..57
A. Oral History Questions in Spanish………………………………………………….57
B. Oral History Questions in Portuguese……………………………………………....58
C. Doralis’ Oral History Transcript…………………………………………………....59
D. Lory’s Oral History Transcript……………………………………………………...65
E. Francineide’s Oral History Transcript………………………………………………73
F. Gaby’s Oral History Transcript……………………………………………………..79
Works Cited……………………………………………………………………………………..95
About this Honors Thesis
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