Martinez Family Roles

524 Words2 Pages

Please read the story about the Martinez Family on page 216.
AND answer these questions.
1. What are some possible cultural factors that might be influencing the reactions of the Martinezes?

RESPONSE
a. Gender roles: The first reaction from the Martinezes I could point out in their story was hen Mrs. Martinez gave the phone to her husband to continue the conversation about their daughter. I can relate to this because in my culture, the father is the head, protector, provider and spokesman for the family. So, it wasn’t surprising to imagine a father forcefully or politely taking over a conversation involving a disciplinary action/decision for his daughter. I was curious to learn about gender role expectations in Mexican and Latino families. …show more content…

Linguistic issues: The second thing I pointed out was the language. The counselor, Mrs. B., indicated Mr. Martinez had poor command of English. Mr. Martinez might not understand the severity of his daughter’s situation because of language barriers. This might have been one of the reasons why he brought his brother-in-law to the meeting.
c. Immigration and Socioeconomic class issues: Then Mr. Martinez seemed to be too busy to fix an appointment with the counselor. First thing that came to my mind was immigration status. Illegal immigrants tend to avoid public places and authority figures. Additionally, unlike legal immigrants and individuals from a high social class, illegal immigrants tend to work odd jobs which doesn’t give them the opportunity to take hours off work without losing the day’s wages or even the job.
d. Family Structure: The counselor insisted on speaking to the Martinezes without their daughter’s godfather. Sue & Sue (2016) state that in Latina/o families, family unity, respect, and tradition (familismo) are an important aspect of life. The extended family includes relatives, godparents and close friends. Each member of the family has a role. The Martinezes might have closed-up when Mrs. B. asked Elena Martinez’s godfather to leave the meeting. This might have been considered an act of disrespect, which would have been worsened by the counselor’s informal approach when she addressed them by their first

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