• Plight of Immigrant Women in U.S
  • The first word a baby utters are “MOM” or “Mother”, a man before marriage always depends on his mother for each and every thing and once married, he leans on his wife’s shoulder. She has always exhibited a diversified role in her life – as a mother, a sister, a life-partner, a friend, a daughter and of course a source of inspiration. In certain Asian countries, Woman (as Devi) is worshipped for wealth, health, etc., our lives are so influenced by women that we can’t deny their significance in our life. She needs to be given the utmost respect as a person in our society, but in real life when we really look in-depth, it’s sad to watch the amount of discrimination a woman undergoes are so miserable.

    The role of a woman as a life-partner is the most important one, however good or bad her behalf is, she withstands every up and down like a smooth cream, and unites the family as one. That’s why they say “BEHIND EVERY SUCCESSFUL MAN, STANDS A WOMAN!” hence the rolling stone is in the hands of a woman, if carried out wisely and dedicatedly, can build and flourish the family, but if not, can ruin the family too!!

    Generations after generation’s woman have not only shown their versatile talent in making home, but equally contributed outside too, and more amazing part is with such ease she is able to carry out both home and office. The society has especially benefitted a lot when a woman came forward and started lending a shoulder to her husband in making a family happy place not only financially, socially but morally too. But to our great amazement society has not valued her role, but rather considers her as nuisance, like in some parts of Asia and many countries we can still see people abandoning the girl child, and when a woman go to work the amount of discrimination, domestic abuse, sexual harassment, wage theft and exploitation that occurs even in advanced countries like are innumerable.

    This scenario is more commonly witnessed among the woman Immigrant’s in US. Among 12 million undocumented immigrants, more than half of them are women and children. Around sixty percent of these undocumented women work without any kind of paper agreement, in a very informal procedure, where they are paid on a daily basis. More than 35% of these women possess no work and are taking care of their children and home. 25% of the 400,000 people that get deported each year are parents of children who are American citizens, among them almost 177,000 of these children are orphaned each year.

    Due to economic conditions back at home, women in order to a make good living for their future and their children come in hope of earning better and leading a good social life, by taking up as a domestic worker or care givers. But they fall to exploitation and work for substandard wages; they may have to leave their own children behind to be raised by relatives; and friends. Apart from this the women and children not only face language barrier, ethnic and community isolation, but live their life under the mercy of the society; they also suffer as victims of family and sexual violence with little or no resources to get help.

    Twenty-eight percent of single mothers with children live below the poverty level. The most vulnerable  thing is, there is a lack of economic security for older women who have spent years doing low paid worker like caregivers, cleaning the mall, houses for which little or no Social Security taxes were paid and who eventually find themselves without any financial resources due to the wage gap.

    As per the reports of the National Organization for Women, the reproductive health of immigrant women is profoundly affected by immigration policies. Most of the female immigrant are often forced to work in industries, which are undervalued, underpaid, and hazardous to one’s health, lacks basic worker protections and offer no benefits, especially like Immigration Medical Exam fees which are dire necessities to get done in order to gain citizenship and there is no doubt that a majority of female immigrants are not covered under any health care

    History revels that the amount of contribution done by these immigrants are uncountable whether socially, economically and politically by making the lives of every U.S. citizen smooth and at ease.. According to the Census data, there are approximately 17.5 million immigrant women in the United States, among them 16 percent live under poverty. These women apart from encountering obstacles to employment and health access; also face violence and discrimination.

    After an immigrant survivor of violence has left the abusive situation, whether it is domestic violence at home or human trafficking at her workplace, the role of the social and legal service providers is to apply for immigration relief, and help her find emotional and financial stability while she recovers. However, one serious obstacle that survivors frequently face is the inability to work legally in the United States while their visa application is pending.  The lack of financial resources, especially for women who left their home countries is a factor in choosing to remain and suffer in an abusive environment.

    “You educate a man; you educate a man. You educate a woman; you educate a generation.”
    ― Brigham Young

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