Women Power: Multiculturalism and Acculturation

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Introduction

With modern socioeconomic forces behind the movement of people from their native lands to urban areas that contain cultural mixture, major world cities are witnessing an influx of disjointed immigrants who are unable to cope with their new environments.

Migrating from one region to another with maximum cultural distance becomes a challenge as the newcomers settle in the new environments.

As Padilla and Perez postulate, “Throughout most of the 20th century, social scientists theorized about the process by which newcomers to the United States become incorporated into the main-stream culture” (36).

This observation underscores the concepts of acculturation and multiculturalism, which have gained substantial national attention since the rise of African-American, Latino, and the Asian immigrants into the US and while the American public schools have increasingly engaged in organizing immigrants and their offspring to become prolific society members, the predicament of women immigrants is underestimated.

Therefore, this essay explores multiculturalism and acculturation in the context of women’s plight.

Concepts of acculturation and multiculturalism

The gradual rise and augmentation of human immigration behavior have brought another unique human experience that calls for considerable attention.

Just as the process of human adaptation to the natural environment, assimilating into a new region with a different culture is not an easy assignment (Masten et al. 18).

Conventionally, human beings differ culturally, socially, and even customarily depending on the region of residence and individuals’ background.

When human beings strive to acquire certain cultural elements of the central society in foreign regions in the process of assimilating the conditions of these new regions, the process refers to acculturation.

Berry posits, “Acculturation is the dual process of cultural and psychological change that takes place as a result of contact between two or more cultural groups and their individual members” (698).

With the growing trends of immigration across the world, acculturation thus becomes an integral process that finally allows different cultural groups to mingle easily and share even their languages.

Another modern concept that accompanies immigration, globalization, and internationalization issues, which are practical in the contemporary times, is multiculturalism.

Multiculturalism or cultural diversity is a demographic process of integrating different ethnographic groups to integrate and assimilate despite their cultural distinction (Berry 706).

Akin to acculturation, multiculturalism is one of the efforts that aim at enhancing the process of human assimilation into different cultural boundaries, thus enabling migrants of different backgrounds to inhabit one another culturally.

However, several researchers view multiculturalism as a failed concept given the increasing cases of racial prejudice and minority discrimination amongst immigrants.

The throes of change and human social integration in many nations through the processes of acculturation and multiculturalism have been difficult issues to ascertain their successfulness (Padilla and Perez 46).

Frequently, immigrants and the minority groups in many European countries and most recently in some Arabic nations have reported increased cases of racial and ethnic bias despite portraying high levels of acculturation into the dominant communities.

The quandary of women and power in Diaspora

With the modern, tightly contested political and social matters, the notion of gender bias has been an obstacle to women’s progress across the world (Masten et al. 15). In many circumstances, women have been facing the most effective of struggling to acculturate in regions with strict cultural norms.

Conventionally, the process of assimilation, especially in the European nations, has not been an easy assignment considering the historical predicaments of African-Americans, Mexican Americans, the Latinos, Chinese Americans, and other early American immigrants.

Acculturation has been a complicated phenomenon, especially when considering the process by which women assimilate and integrate into the cultural norms of the dominant host communities.

According to a research undertaken by Masten et al. (16) regarding the effect of acculturation on the minority Latino women, several issues emerged. The study unveiled that acculturation has adverse negative health and behavioral effects on Latino women as compared to their male counterparts.

Becoming a hero, from all forms of contested political and social issues, is quite a challenging issue amongst women, especially those who are undergoing the acculturation process.

Apart from the common barriers, adopting certain cultural behaviors of the dominant cultural group principally to assimilate with these groups brings some unique challenges that hamper them from becoming independent and influential.

Masten et al. (16) assert that due to fragmented and undermined multiculturalism strategies, ethnic minority groups despair in their quest to acculturate and the ultimate process of assimilation ends in desperate intermarriage.

This move is usually the beginning of women hardships, especially when married to the host majority community where the process of acculturation barely gives the woman an opportunity to explore leadership talents.

Two critical issues are continually contributing to privation of women during the acculturation process and they include education and employment where empowerment gradually begins (Berry 702).

Having appropriate leadership qualities drawn from educational achievements and financial prosperity are two important actors in modern headship.

Education, acculturation, and women power

Immigration and assimilating into new regions is a difficult process for families and individuals and women; the problems are twofold.

Education is one of the integral aspects that determine the successfulness of the acculturation process and most probably, it influences cultural diversity (Berry 710).

Lack of formal education has been one of the significant contributors of women suffering during the acculturation process where education becomes a limiting factor in enhancing women power.

Lack of means to communicate well with the main-stream population and lack of confidence in handling public matters are some of the difficulties that women portray, thus making them unqualified for leadership positions (Berry 706).

Coupled with the notion that immigrant women possess little influence on the native communities and have to acculturate in a bid to become acceptable in the indigenous population, the quest to dominate leadership positions remains hampered.

Supposed to be the only feasible way to ensure that immigrants become productive members in foreign lands, education is a factor in women development in foreign nations.

Low levels of education among immigrant women are the major causes of their failure in occupying leadership positions in foreign nations, especially for the immigrants of color, as demonstrated in several European nations.

According to Masten et al. (4), “higher acculturation as demonstrated by research relates positively to high liberal attitudes of women, higher levels of knowledge and education, single marital status, and younger age.”

Women in foreign nations either have completely no education or their levels of education are relatively low and when striving to acculturate and possess power, especially overseas, it becomes an insurmountable challenge.

A practical example is in the US is where most discrimination cases arise in educational disparity, as research reveals that the minority groups find themselves residing in substandard housing, which leads to poor educational attainment (Padilla and Perez 46).

Lower education depicts lower employment chances and social self-esteem, something that poses challenges to several immigrant women in their pursuit of attaining power.

Employment, income and women power

In any modern community, employment has become one of the integral contributors to the development of families and acquisition of self-independence among individuals.

Acculturation in a foreign country may be challenging as one has to begin with establishing a reliable source of livelihood and at this point, employment becomes a crucial aspect during acculturation process (Masten et al. 16).

Many women immigrants are less likely to survive in many foreign nations for attaining a suitable employment is ordinarily challenging.

The rise of many women usually occurs in their employment zones, especially when given opportunities to demonstrate their talents and potential by the organization before showing interest in communal leadership.

A study on Puerto Ricans, Mexican Americans, and Latinos revealed that high poverty and employment rates among these immigrant women are major causes of depression as well as acculturation difficulties experienced (Berry 709).

Unemployment, poverty, and social stigma encourage low-self esteem among women and hence, low chances of leading communities.

Income is the primary source of human independence in the contemporary days and leadership earnestly relies on this aspect.

Women with stable employment and high wages exhibit the desired confidence in leadership and leading in a native land is not exceptional, as it requires financial potency and high education.

High levels of acculturation, as demonstrated by Masten et al. (17) positively relate to more broadminded attitude among women and stable economic situation, places women at higher chances of taking leadership.

Due to significant disparities in income and occupational levels between the ethnic minorities and the dominant Native Americans, acculturation and leadership become difficult for the immigrant women in the US.

According to Padilla and Perez (48), “there is substantial evidence that women who work are more likely to compare their outcomes (low wages) with those of other women rather than with those of men.”

This assertion means that wage and salaries between men and women are incomparable and the situation is likely worse to immigrant women.

Stress, depression, and women power

Women become conquerors through formal leadership and leadership undoubtedly requires a straight mind. Research reveals that women suffer more acculturative stress compared to men and thus socio-cultural and psychological adaption is much difficult to them (Berry 697).

There exist substantial individual differences in how people incorporate the process of acculturation described in terms of assimilation, separation, and marginalization strategies.

For women, health issues are primary causes of acculturation stresses experienced and according to research, these are among the main limiting factors towards women leadership.

According to Masten et al. (15), practical research among the American immigrants revealed that acculturation stress in Hispanics as examined might be due to depression and related socioeconomic pressures.

Among the Central American immigrants, similar results discussed by Masten et al. (15) indicated that acculturated stress significantly associated with higher depression in women.

Coupled with other social issues that cause social prejudice in women, their probability of acquiring leadership with these conditions is minimal.

As per the definition, acculturation typically involves a systematic process that engrosses culturally modifying individuals’ behavior to cope with the dominant host culture (Masten et al. 15).

Stress in women results in low acculturation on many occasions, and their challenges towards leadership begin at this point. Generally, “individuals with low acculturation tend to adhere to their native cultural norms when interacting with the host communities” (Masten et al. 15).

Among other causes, low acculturation and related acculturative stress occur where high marginalization, racial prejudice, social stigmatization, unemployment and poverty persist.

With these critical issues against women development and empowerment, there chances of becoming leaders in foreign nations after demonstrating low acculturation to the native communities become relatively nominal (Padilla and Perez 54).

Given that acculturation is more challenging to those individuals who are different, (either by color, religion, or physiognomy), these constraints are more adverse to women than to men and hence their survival in leadership and development remains constrained.

Politics, policies, social dominance and women power

Immigration and social mobility are universal issues that have continuously attracted international interests both in research and policy development within nations.

Based on studies of ethnic minorities and immigranti communities in the US, politics of the nations have contributed to the suffering of women immigrants in foreign nations (Berry 700).

Given that the dominant culture remains influential in its native land in terms of power, privilege, and status, acculturation, where cultural diversity is underestimated, becomes a challenge for the women leadership aspirants.

For instance, in the United States, although regarded as among the most democratized nations across the world, national politics have continuously hampered women development and empowerment.

The crackdown to find illegal immigrants and deport them to their native nations has sometimes extended to the innocent and subsequently contributed to women suffering (Berry 700).

Women considered as immigrants face the challenges instigated by the political pressures and the insensitive anti-immigrant policies that lead to their suffering and discrimination. Imposed against their growth, they live in fear of national repression.

The likelihood of leading in a foreign nation, especially where there are maximum cultural differences is a challenge to many.

In understanding the concept of acculturation stress in minority groups, one of the inseparable issues in this aspect is the issue of social dominance that demonstrates how cultural hierarchies influence leadership.

Women aspiring for leadership find themselves in quandaries while confronting the host’s majority community and their hierarchical order that comes from cultural dominance.

As Padilla and Perez (44) note, it is ordinarily evident that social institutions and cultural groups involve a particular form of hierarchy, with the majority group capable of exhibiting more independence.

Padilla and Perez posit, “The theory of social dominance states, “social hierarchies are validated through cultural ideologies that sustain the legitimacy and centrality of hierarchy within the larger society” (44).

Therefore, as the immigrant women strive to assimilate into the host culture through the acculturation process, their chances of clinching leadership positions remain minimal.

Multiculturalism as the only solution

As modernization entails globalization, where individuals globally interact and culturally inhabit, the need to strengthen the notion of multiculturalism is becoming essential. However, prior and present studies demonstrate multiculturalism as a failed concept internationally.

Political democracy has improved, human civilization has enhanced, and economies have changed, but the process of acculturation in the midst of polarized cultural differences is becoming a major global dilemma (Berry 758).

Communities have to first change from the old conformist ideologies towards the realization of the significance of having multicultural society where individuals of different races, religious backgrounds, nationality, and cultural differences interact freely, share and cooperate.

The popular belief that prevailed during the massive American immigration process was that whatever beliefs or traditions came with immigrants into the US would finally disappear and they would adopt the American culture (Berry 758).

This assumption has not materialized to date, as the US is and may continuously develop as a nation of immigrants.

Building multicultural societies is not merely a communal process, and thus important steps that would encourage gradual understanding of the multiculturalism process are essential in the modern societies (Padilla and Perez 37).

Multicultural communities would develop well through the comprehensive integration of multicultural studies in schools and institutions where youngsters grow psychologically understanding the essence of cultural diversity.

In a bid to avoid suffering of ethnic minorities and social alienation, cultural diversity will potentially enable women, youth, children, disabled, and the elderly to have equitable access to critical community development opportunities (Padilla and Perez 37).

This aspect would effectively influence policy development and enactment of regulations that strengthen the minority and vulnerable groups towards the upper lanes of leadership and development positions.

Socioeconomic stress is the major contributor to acculturative stress, where depression arises from social and economic pressures that finally lead to depression and other factors that subsequently hamper women from securing leadership positions.

Undisputedly, the European nations, the Asian nations, and even the African nations need each other mutually to grow economically, socially, and even politically.

Great encouragement should prevail in developing the critical multiculturalism strategies where acculturation receives support from changes in political dimensions, social ideologies, and dissolved cultural differences (Padilla and Perez 44).

As important persons and leaders that possess an influence on racial and ethnic majority groups, politicians should exercise unbiased leadership that would help in encouraging cultural diversity.

To gain cultural diversity in the global context, they should refrain from divisive politics of creed, color, nationalism, religion, and culture in a bid to encourage internationalism without cultural divide.

Padilla and Perez posit that since immigrants feel less “motivated while attempting to acculturate where they believe discrimination persists against their minority group by members of the dominant social class, multiculturalism would best resolve this predicament” (40).

Women would feel confident when they notice that they are becoming more acceptable in the community than when despised and alienated.

Conclusion

Conventionally, people love traveling and sharing experiences across the world. Acculturation is an uphill task especially when struggling to fit in a dominant community that shares different cultural norms (including skin color, religious practices, and even physiognomy).

The presence of immigrants of different cultural norms in different nations continues to precipitate international interests as the cases of racial prejudice, ethnic discrimination, societal alienation, religious bias, and even cultural segregation persist.

Acculturation may continue posing endless challenges to the minority groups and women, as part of the vulnerable groups, are at risk of facing adverse negative effects while struggling to assimilate in foreign nations.

Multiculturalism is the probable solution as it advocates acceptance and maintenance of valued features, traditions, and beliefs of all cultures living together.

Works Cited

Berry, John. “Acculturation: Living successfully in two cultures.” International Journal of Intercultural Relations 29.2 (2005): 697–712. Print.

Masten, Willam, Laura Mosby, Christine Asidao, Jerome Wanda, Toy Caldwell-Colbert, Margarita Medina, and Gonzalo Hernandez. “Depression and Acculturation in Mexican American and European American Women.” Annals of Psychology 20.1 (2004): 15-21. Print.

Padilla, Amado, and William Perez. “Acculturation, Social Identity, and Social Cognition: A New Perspective.” Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences 25.1 (2003): 35-55. Print.

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