Exploring Intersections in the Intimate Lives of Mexican Origin Women

Abstract

Relationship research on Mexican origin women often focuses on their ethnicity while ignoring other aspects of their lives. Mexican origin women are diverse and as researchers we need to study this diversity. Informed by Chicana Feminism, this dissertation examines the experiences of Mexican origin women in intimate relationship in the form of three manuscripts. My goal is to make Mexican origin women's voices more wholly heard in relationship research.The first manuscript is a conceptual one, in which I examine the shortcomings of relationship research on heterosexual Mexican origin women. Some scholars have regarded Mexican origin women as a "triple minority" (see Arellano & Ayala-Alcantar, 2004) due to their disadvantaged social locations in terms of gender, ethnicity, and social class. I argue that in order to fully understand the experiences of Mexican origin women, it is necessary to study the intersections in which they are situated. This manuscript critically examines how the intersection of gender, ethnicity, and class affects women's experiences in heterosexual intimate relationships.In the second manuscript, I examine Mexican origin women's perceptions of the division of childcare and how these perceptions influence evaluations of their romantic and parenting relationships. Results reveal women's perceptions of the division of childcare impact both their romantic and parenting relationship. The moderating effects of gender role attitudes are also investigated. Results demonstrate the diversity of Mexican origin women's experiences within families.Lastly, in the third manuscript, I explore the impact of structural, behavioral, and attitudinal familism on relationship conflict. Participants were 64 cohabiting or married couples of Mexican origin. Actor and partner effects of structural, behavioral, and attitudinal familism on relationship conflict were examined with a series of structural equation models using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (Kashy & Kenny, 2000; Kenny & Cook, 1999). Results reveal that higher levels of men's behavioral familism is associated with lower levels of relationship conflict. Furthermore, higher levels of men's structural and behavioral familism are also associated with lower levels of their partner's relationship conflict. Results suggest that structural and behavioral familism for men may promote healthy relationships, as evidenced by lower relationship conflict.