Men as Dependents: Household Division of Labor in Women-Led Families of Indian Migrant Nurses

• In Event: 392 - Section on Asia and Asian America Roundtable Session (one-hour).
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 04. Marriages, Markets, and Family

Abstract

The Immigration Act of 1990 introduced the distinctive category of non-immigrant skilled workers’ visas or the H-1B visas. While Indian male high-tech workers have been the largest recipients of the skilled-workers’ visas, what has garnered less attention is the migration of Indian women nurses who have been migrating to the U.S. since the 1970s on immigrant visas as a result of nursing shortages. Immigration reforms in 1990 made it possible for skilled workers to bring their spouses and children on what is called the dependent visa. The “dependent visa” puts many restrictions on the spouses of skilled workers. It disallows dependent visa holders to work for pay until the lead migrant has gained permanent residency in the U.S., a process which can take anywhere between five and fifteen years. This policy has created migrant families where men stay home as dependents and women, as in case of my research, the nurses are the main wage earners. How does this reversal in status upon migration affect the doing of gender in these households? I find that in these families, despite the visa enforced status reversal, the traditional gendered division of labor does not change except in the context of childcare. The paradox of the situation is embedded in the fact that childcare, including caregiving and caretaking, is typically viewed to be feminine. I therefore argue that the men are somewhat engaging in disrupting gendered norms by becoming caring nurturers, despite their unwillingness to acknowledge such.

Author

• Pallavi Banerjee, Vanderbilt University