Ethnicity and the Social Constructon of Gender in the Chinese Diaspora

A variety of historical & census data is drawn on to explore the relationship between married women's waged labor & their position in the racial stratification order, comparing Chinese-Canadians in British Columbia with Chinese-Americans in Calif & Hawaii, drawing on a theoretical perspective that sees gender as differentially constructed within ethnic groups & as reflecting the interaction of group heritage, historical experiences, & location in the stratification order. Analysis reveals that Chinese women had initially low rates of participation in the waged labor force, functioning as unpaid labor in family enterprises & entering the waged labor force only after the decline of the era of ethnic enterprise. This may initially have been a response to the limited earning capacity of Chinese males, but women remained there even after husbands' income improved. It would appear that the Chinese community initially possessed a set of norms comparable to the cult of domesticity, but their experiences in North America produced a normative transformation, ie, a shift from the belief that "a married woman's place is in the home" to "a married woman has an obligation to work & help support her family.". 4 Tables, 65 References. Adapted from the source document.