Jose Diaz came to the United States in his late early 40s to begin a family and establish a better life for himself. Before he came to the United States, he grew up in Michoacán, Mexico and then migrated to Mexicali. His household consisted of a family of 12; he has 6 brothers and 3 sisters. Jose prepubescent years were harsh due to coexisting factors that prevented him from having what many would call a normal childhood. Mexico’s lack of educational resources hindered children from prospering from a better education. An additional drawback to living in Mexico in the 1950s was the inescapable poverty that consumed the life of many children such as Jose. Gender roles established his fate, by the age of 7 he became a child labour. Now as a 66-year-old man many concerns over retirement revolve around his status as a once undocumented immigrant. Jose would argue …show more content…
The patriarchy was highly enforced and culturally accepted in certain parts of Mexico. Jose pointed out that it was the man’s responsibility to work and the woman’s job to maintain the house. He was still a child when his father took him to work in agriculture. Jose would carry a bucket full of garbanzos or maize dispersing them in rows of potted soil. Strenuous labor intensive work was thought to be too much for young women. Gender roles have always had particular expectations of what a female and male are supposed to do. Men are seen as masculine and strong so it is not surprising that society presumes they should work. Females are regarded as delicate maternal humans. When Jose was a child, a woman’s job was to cook, clean, and have children. During difficult times, families in Mexico bore many children which would provide income for the household. All of Jose’s brothers worked and his sisters stayed home with his mother. Societal roles were assumed depending on sex, engraving in the child's mind what options they would have as