Forced Time-Out: The Effects of “Dependent” Visa Status on the Gendered Division of Labor

• In Event: 3251 - Section on International Migration Refereed Roundtables (1 hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: 9. Gender and Migration

Abstract

Immigrant status and visa type represent an important yet understudied dimension of inequality among immigrants with consequences on the lived experiences and outcomes of immigrants and their families. Further, assumptions about gender and family are entrenched in the US immigration system in ways that reflect and reinforce gendered roles. This paper seeks to further our understanding of these effects by focusing on spouses of international students who are considered to be “dependents” within the US visa system and face severe restrictions on their ability to work outside the home. This policy enforces a “forced time out”, and this paper seeks to explore its consequences on the gendered division of household labor within immigrant families and their overall economic and social wellbeing. Using qualitative data collected through interviews with immigrant couples, comprised of international students (on F1 visa status) and their “dependent” partners (on F2 visa status), this study seeks to identify the intended and unintended consequences of the dependent spouse visa status on the division of household labor and broader consequences on the social and economic wellbeing and integration of immigrant families. More broadly, this paper contributes to how immigration policy, even those intended to be temporary, have reverberating long-term consequences on individuals and families.

Author

• Hansini Munasinghe, University of Iowa