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Chicanas: The Socialization Of Asian-American Women

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Mexican-American women, sometimes referred to as “Chicanas,” are oftentimes expected to be submissive daughters and ultimately wives, as the ownership of their bodies is passed from father to husband. From how they dress to whether or not they wear makeup to even the length of their hair is commonly controlled by their fathers and husbands. They are expected to fill their gender role as a caregiver---a mother---to serve their children and their husbands.
This differs from the cultural oppression faced by other minority women. Education is not seen as a priority for Mexican-American women as it is for Asian-American women; marriage and the family unit are seen as more important. The treatment of Mexican-American women also differs from the …show more content…

Esperanza refers to this when she speaks of how she and her siblings grow up. She says, “The boys and the girls live in separate worlds” (Cisneros 12). Nancy Chodorow, sociologist and psychoanalyst, explains that boys and girls are at first are socialized similarly and have an attachment to their mothers. Chodorow argues that children tend to identify with the gender of the parent that identifies with them most closely; she states that mothers tend to identify with their daughters more than their sons. In the novel, this can be seen as Esperanza is depicted interacting almost exclusively with older women whether it be her mother, an aunt, or a neighbor. She has little interactions with her father, other men, and even boys; she even shares that she fears them (Cisneros 49). This further validates the gender hierarchy in place in Chicano culture. These interactions between parent (or anyone contributing to their socialization) and child that aid in gender identification can cause boys to later negatively repress any feelings of femininity in order to be perceived masculine like their fathers (Chodorow 87). This, then in turn can serve as the explanation of the common subordination of women, specifically in Mexican-American culture. On Mango Street, even as children, Esperanza’s younger brothers, don’t speak with her and …show more content…

Once Chicanas dress or appear “womanly”, they are objectified. Chicanas are shamed for being sexual beings. When Esperanza develops a crush on a boy, Sire, her family disapproves saying that he is a “punk” and not to talk to him (Cisneros 49). She is unable to explore her sexuality because her parents understand the validity of the gendered hierarchy and how her body is not her own. Sally’s father sexualizes her as she is beaten when she is seen speaking to boys; he says she is not his daughter and she is reminded of the “shame” her sisters brought by leaving home, presumably with men (Cisneros 59). Sally is shamed and punished for exploring her sexuality. The boys she experiments with treat her as less and objectify her because of her vulnerability. She ultimately escapes her father by marriage to man who treats her similarly to how her father did (Cisneros 64). When Chicana girls develop sexually and go through puberty, they become women in the sense that they are sexualized and shamed for feelings and body development that are normalized for their male counterparts (Lee

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