RESUMEN
More women are seeking outside employment worldwide. However, the spousal role with all that it entails remains a significant core for women, particularly in developing countries. How women experience this role when they are also employed in low-income jobs has not been uncovered adequately. One hundred and ninety Egyptian women who are employed in clerical jobs were asked about the satisfaction and the stress they experience in their spousal role. The study's participants described the centrality of their spousal role in their life and discussed how fulfilling the needs and the expectations of their husbands were most significant for them. Their role in creating harmony in the family and the extent to which they were able to succeed in achieving this goal also were cited as the most significant aspects of their spousal relationship. Another satisfying part of their marital life was having children. On the other hand, their husbands' demanding behavior, the way the husbands express their demands, the husbands' abuse, and the participants' constant feeling of el masooliah, or their "sense of overload from responsibilities," were some of the stresses described by the participants. They also perceived a gap in the values that they and their husbands hold. This gap was most constraining to some of the participants. The participants coped by enduring the stress. This begs the question of what societal values keep women in less than satisfying relationships. The findings are discussed within a framework of societal norms and values expectations that reinforce women's commitment and endurance of spousal stress.
Asunto(s)
Adaptación Psicológica , Identidad de Género , Ocupaciones , Satisfacción Personal , Esposos/psicología , Estrés Psicológico/psicología , Mujeres Trabajadoras/psicología , Carga de Trabajo , Adulto , Países en Desarrollo , Egipto , Femenino , Humanos , Renta , Persona de Mediana Edad , Investigación Metodológica en Enfermería , Poder Psicológico , Valores Sociales , Estrés Psicológico/etnología , Estrés Psicológico/etiología , Encuestas y CuestionariosRESUMEN
As the number of Arabs living in the United States increases, so does the number of children of Arab descent seeking medical attention. However, despite the sizable and ever increasing number of American Arabs, their health beliefs and practices remain relatively unexplored. When cultural differences exist with regard to beliefs about health and illness, health practices, and health-seeking behavior, the process of health-related interaction becomes difficult and often detrimental to health outcomes. Among Arab immigrants, their children tend to be the least visible population. This article describes the beliefs and practices, both cultural and health-related, of Arab families, with an emphasis on child care and rearing. Nursing considerations, which take these cultural factors into account, are discussed that will accommodate the needs of Arab children receiving professional Western medical treatment.
Asunto(s)
Árabes , Enfermería Pediátrica/métodos , África/etnología , Árabes/psicología , Actitud Frente a la Salud , Niño , Niño Hospitalizado/psicología , Preescolar , Femenino , Humanos , Lactante , Islamismo , Masculino , Medio Oriente/etnología , Responsabilidad Parental , Estados UnidosRESUMEN
Literature specifically focused on women as immigrants and on the nature and quality of the immigrant experience is limited. Similarly, in spite of early Arab immigration to the different regions of the world, there is a limited knowledge base regarding the dynamics and problems involved in their integration into their new society. In this article we describe the lived experiences of Jordanian women who immigrated to the United States and the focus is on providing an in-depth account of their perceived stressors as related to their immigration experience. Thirty Jordanian American women, all wives and mothers with a mean age of 45, were interviewed. Three major themes of the sources and contexts of stress emerged from the narrative and qualitative data analyses of their responses. Women experienced many challenges and stressors surrounding their work in the daily living of settling in, in their quest for ethnic continuity, and in their attempts to re-create familiarity. Social and health support resources cannot be created without careful attention to these themes.
Asunto(s)
Emigración e Inmigración , Estrés Psicológico/etnología , Aculturación , Actividades Cotidianas , Adaptación Psicológica , Adulto , Femenino , Humanos , Jordania/etnología , Los Angeles , Persona de Mediana Edad , Madres/psicología , Investigación Metodológica en Enfermería , Factores de RiesgoRESUMEN
Having their children enter adolescence presents new demands on the role functions of Jordanian immigrant women in the United States. Such demands require modifications in traditional parenting approaches. The authors attempted to uncover and describe the experiences of Jordanian immigrant mothers (N = 30) in parenting their adolescents in the United States. Content and narrative analysis revealed the dynamic processes that the mothers used in raising their children. They continuously attempted to balance the need for their teens to maintain a Jordanian ethnic identity and the need for them to become integrated into the new community. Their parenting was driven by an attempt to avoid loss of honor and bad reputation. Four aspects of the maternal role emerged from the analysis: mothering through nurturing the adolescents and promoting cultural identity, disciplining for cultural adherence, advocacy and mediation, and vigilant parenting. The findings support a dynamic interplay between cultural and structural conditions in shaping the experiences of Jordanian immigrant women.