Negotiating Femininity: Power and Strategies of Mexican American Girls |
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Authors: | Jill Denner Nora Dunbar |
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Affiliation: | 1. ETR Associates, Santa Cruz, California 2. Family Social Science Dept., University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN
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Abstract: | Popular views that female development entails a loss of voice and power in relationships have not been explored with Latina girls. In this study, data were collected from eight low-income Mexican American girls in middle and high school using surveys and open-ended interview questions. The findings show they view others as holding traditional expectations about how girls should behave, whereas they themselves engage in a more complex critique and performance of femininities in relationships with their family, peers, and teachers. The findings challenge assumptions that girls experience a linear loss of voice during adolescence, and suggest a distinction between personal power and power to help others. Finally, they show the importance of culture in understanding how girls negotiate gender roles. |
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