User talk:Naomi FK/Inequality within Immigrant Families (United States)

I plan to write an article on the topic of "Inequality within immigrant families," specifically focusing on immigrants to the United States. There is a large body of research in the areas of family, inequality, and immigration, which I will draw upon heavily when writing my article. I did a search and can find no existing Wikipedia entries that specifically cover either inequality within the family or the family dynamics of immigrants. Although there is extensive literature on many facets of social inequality, current Wikipedia articles tend to focus on inequalities between larger societal groups such as those based on socioeconomic status, gender, and race. When measuring inequalities in factors such as income and education, the family is often taken as a homogenous unit in which resources are distributed equally. Many scholars have pointed out that such an assumption is problematic since inequalities often exist within the family. I wish to bring these inequalities to light, specifically focusing on the unique disparities that are often generated through the immigration process. Though they hail from a diverse array of countries, immigrants to the United States share many of the same challenges associated with entering a new society with a different culture and set of values. The processes of integration and assimilation can pose a threat to traditional family structures and can deepen the divide between members of different genders and generations. Such shifts may alleviate some forms of inequality while simultaneously creating new disparities. The proposed article will address the inequalities that exist within immigrant families in the United States, particularly those inequalities that occur on the basis of legal status, generation, and gender. I will use texts including "How the Other Half Works: Immigration and the Social Organization of Labor" by Waldinger and Lichter, "Family Tightrope" by Kibria, and "Gender and U.S. Immigration" edited by Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo as a starting point for creating this Wikipedia entry. I would appreciate any feedback or suggestions Naomi FK (talk) 09:17, 8 March 2012 (UTC).