Education as Part of the Migratory Project of Latin American Migrant Women Traveling to the United States in Undocumented Conditions

Abstract

Education is an indispensable element for the development of society. In Latin America, the point of origin of most of the undocumented immigrants to the United States, equal opportunity in access to education and educational achievement is still pending. The study presented here focuses on the analysis of the expectations of female migrants via Mexico’s northern border, focusing attention on educational attainment as an important aspect of the “American Dream” of the migrant women interviewed and their dependents.

La educación es uno de los elementos más importantes para el desarrollo de la sociedad. En Latinoamérica, de donde proviene la gran mayoría de los inmigrantes no autorizados en E.U, la igualdad de oportunidades en el acceso al sistema educativo y su permanencia sigue siendo una asignatura pendiente. El estudio que presentamos se centra en analizar las expectativas del proyecto migratorio de mujeres migrantes en tránsito por la frontera norte de México, centrándo nuestra atención en el logro educativo como aspecto importante del “sueño americano” de las mujeres migrantes entrevistadas, así como de sus dependientes.

Key words:

• migrants
• education
• women’s studies
• gender issues

Palabras claves:

• migrantes
• educación
• estudios de mujeres
• cuestiones de género

Notes

¹ This tool was validated by experts from various disciplines: pedagogy, sociology, and psychology.

² For further information on illiteracy levels in Latin American countries consult Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (2013, pp. 61–63).

Additional information

Funding

This work was funded by the Universidad Pablo de Olavide’s Plan for International Cooperation and Development (passed February 10, 2011).