Ethnic Women: A Multiple Status Reality

This book introduces the study of ethnic women and contributes to our understanding of the relationships among gender, race/ethnicity, and social class. The social scientific study of gender has grown exponentially for more than two decades. Until recently, however, little attention has been paid to the diversity among women. The social scientific literature on ethnicity has experienced a revival in the same decades, yet women have frequently been overlooked or misrepresented in that literature. When ethnic women do appear they are typically depicted as selfless wives and mothers or passive victims. Theses twenty original essays challenge myths and stereotypes. The authors-social scientists, social service professionals, and other scholars-explore a broad range of racial/ethnic and social class circumstances. Communities represented include the Hmong in Wisconsin, Cuban Jews in Florida, and Samoans in Hawaii. Patters of immigration and social mobility, communal institutions, and maintenance of ethnic traditions are among the topics which reflect the multiple status reality of ethnic women.