Gender, work and social integration among Yucatec Mayas in California

Abstract

This article examines the migration of Yucatec Mayas to the United States since the late 1980s, focusing especially on gender differences, in order to analyze different migratory, work, and social integration patterns in the destination country. The author’s findings indicate that Yucatec Maya men arrived in California for economic reasons, while the majority of the women went after being married or for family reunification. She also notes that Yucatec Maya immigrants have integrated socially and economically into the United States at the same time that they have negotiated gender-based changes within the family and simultaneously preserved certain values and family unity.