essay

Attitudes of immigrant women and men in the Dearborn area toward women's employment and welfare

muslim communities in north america • Albany, N. Y. • Published In 1994 • Pages: 501-519

By: Aswad, Barbara C..

Abstract

In the Dearborn, Michigan area a number of factors have operated against women's employment. Some of these major factors discussed by Aswad in this article '…are lack of skills and education; fewer piecemeal or part-time jobs than in the Middle East; the 'rich peasant' mentality of husbands from villages with its emphasis on increased female modesty and a restricted environment; increasing Islamic values operating in a host country that does not seem to value premarital chastity; restrictions (including, sometimes, educational) placed by some mothers on their daughters even though theoretically they accept the idea of employment and education for them; and restrictions of the male-dominant auto industry in contrast to family-run businesses' (p. 515). The author explores each of these factors fully in the text.

HRAF PubDate

1999

Region

North America

Sub Region

Regional, Ethnic and Diaspora Cultures

Document Type

essay

Evaluation

Creator Type

Ethnologist

Document Rating

5: Excellent Primary Data

Analyst

John Beierle ; 1998

Field Date

1971, 1984

Coverage Date

ca. 1900-1984

Coverage Place

Southend area, Dearborn, Michigan, United States

Notes

Barbara Aswad

Includes bibliographical references

LCCN

93036564

LCSH

Arab Americans