When Carrots Become Sticks

D12 b

Views: 185

All Rights Reserved

Copyright © 2013, Common Ground Research Networks, All Rights Reserved

Abstract

Rising nationalism and fear of rapidly increasing immigrant populations have resulted in urgent calls for cultural integration of immigrants into host country societies. This paper begins with a transnational view of assimilation that draws from a variety of sources including scholarly journals, news media, government and non-governmental organizations. To more closely investigate the variables which effect the assimilation of female immigrants, three generations of Latina immigrants in the United States were examined. Using an online survey, first-hand perspectives on assimilation were collected from 102 Latina immigrants in the United States. The results of this investigation indicate that certain influencers can function simultaneously as both drivers and barriers to Latina assimilation in the US.