The U.S. Mexican immigrant family in a changing society: a critical overview

Abstract

This article charts literature debates about the structural changes of the Mexican immigrant family in the United States. It presents, first, a critical overview of the conventional literature on the Mexican immigrant family, typically framed around assimilation models, their major themes, and shortcomings. Then, shifting frameworks, this paper shows how structural inequality and feminist models, as critical approaches to emerging immigrant family forms, help us to understand the transformational parallels between U.S. society and the Mexican immigrant family structure. It is argued in this article that the Mexican family is structurally diverse. In doing so, the discussion is placed in the larger context of the U.S., explaining how historical and present social forces associated with unequal access to economic, labor, and educational opportunities have perpetuated the marginality of the Mexican immigrant family vis-à-vis the mainstream family. The paper also outlines and discusses the ways feminist, intersectional, and postmodernism frameworks shape the current literature debates on immigrant families. Lastly, it discusses how diversity in terms of family structure and family life contributes to the general field of family study in the U.S. and globally.