Struggle as the Context of Household Health Work for Mexican American Women

A focused ethnographic study was conducted among 13 moderately to highly acculturated American mothers of Mexican ancestry to determine how they influence the health of their family members. Using the World Health Organization (WHO) definition of health (a state of physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease) as a guide for interview questions, we conducted 32 in-depth interviews with study participants. The thread of struggle ran through each woman's narrative. Women's process of struggle is presented as one way to conceptualize the gendered nature of household health work.

This research was supported, in part, through funding from NIH NINR grant #5T32NR07029 and #1F31NR06843-01A1. The author thanks the 13 women who shared their time and stories, and acknowledge the encouragement and mentorship provided by Drs. JoAnn Glittenberg, Kathleen May, and Sandra Ferketich.