Mental Health Decline Caused by Immigration
 Tyla Waxter - BYU NewsNet
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| | Wilkerson had the impression that women were feeling limited with the men in control and would break out of their shells when they left Mexico; however, he said he found the opposite, they like their traditional feminine role. | | |
When the men of Mexican families migrate to the United States for work, leaving behind their families, the mental health of the wives decreases, said a BYU graduate during a presentation Thursday.
On the second day of the International Field Studies Annual Inquiry Conference, former BYU student Jared Wilkerson presented his findings in a research project he developed as part of a field study, entitled "Beyond Remittances: Effects of Husband Migration on Wives in Rural Mexico."
"Generally, mental health will decline after an activating event, such as a divorce or death of a loved one," said Wilkerson.
He said he began the study with a "misguided assumption."
"I was thinking the women were under oppressive power of machismo," Wilkerson said.
Wilkerson had the impression that women were feeling limited with the men in control and would break out of their shells when they left Mexico; however, he said he found the opposite, they like their traditional feminine role.
The purpose, Wilkerson said, was "to discover the effects of husband migration on the mental health and gender role preferences of wives."
Wilkerson said that with the men absent, the wives had to cover the duties of the husband.
"Her gender role changes... that is very clear," he said.
A change in gender role, caused by husband migration, Wilkerson said, led to this decline in mental health.
The reason for a decrease, he said he found is because of the love the men had for their families, which is also the reason they left Mexico. |
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Health & Beauty | March 2008 
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