Deck 45: Negotiating Work and Parenting Over the Life Course: Mexican Family Dynamics in a Binational Context

Question 1

Identify one problem that women face when they experience prolonged separation from their children.

A) Women make a greater monetary contribution to the family than men.
B) Women express love to their family by spending time with their children.
C) Fathers feel guiltier about leaving their children than mothers.
D) Women's roles at home lag behind their contributions as family wage-earners.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

What is one reason migrants often choose to return to Mexico?

A) Migrants secured steady, high-paying jobs in Mexico.
B) Migrants missed their families.
C) Migrants met their financial goals.
D) Migrants made little progress toward their original financial goals.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Discuss the obstacles migrants may face when seeking work in the United States.

Answer 3

Varies. May include the following:
-It can be difficult to secure consistent work.
-Health problems can prevent workers from holding jobs.
-Many migrants believe that anyone who works hard will be successful.
-Workers may not earn enough money to return to Mexico.

Question 4

Comparing the experiences of Mexican mothers and fathers reveals that ______ sacrifices are viewed more harshly.

A) fathers'
B) children's
C) mothers'
D) the primary caregivers'

Question 5

Discuss the ways in which gender inequality plays a critical role in the way men and women negotiate a work-family life balance during international migration.

Question 6

What is split-family migration?

A) when adult children leave their parents to work in a different country
B) when one parent leaves the family to work in a different country
C) when a family travels to a new country to find work
D) when one or both parents seek migratory work in a different country

Question 7

What percentage of Mexicans arriving in the United States between 1995 and 2005 were undocumented immigrants?

A) 80-85%
B) 30-35%
C) 15-20%
D) 60-65%

Question 8

Which of the following does Dreby identify as a positive effect of parents and children living together?

A) They more readily adjust to each other's changing needs.
B) Migrant mothers are more likely to stay home with their children.
C) Children are more likely to receive better education.
D) Children have more freedom.

Question 9

What is one reason parents may decide to make family separation a permanent arrangement?

A) Children of migrants often prefer to stay in Mexico.
B) It is easy to bring undocumented minors across the border.
C) Parents find steady, high-wage work in the United States.
D) Parents believe that there is more freedom for their children in Mexico.

Question 10

Which of the following was NOT identified as a reason for marital difficulties that migrant workers face?

A) New partners do not often recognize the woman's children in Mexico as part of their family.
B) Accusations of infidelity are frequent.
C) Children born in Mexico feel threatened and jealous of their U.S.-born siblings or half-siblings.
D) Women frequently earn more money than their partners, which increases marital discord.