Pollster Bendixen explains the unfair challenges that women immigrants face. (Stephanie Lam/ The Epoch Times )
The report, titled Women Immigrants: Stewards of the 21st Century Family, is based on a poll conducted in 2008, in which approximately 1,000 female immigrants from 44 countries were interviewed in ten languages. Interviewees range from those who have been in the U.S. for less than two years to those to those who have been in the U.S. for over 20 years.
The report provides an insight to, “Who today’s immigrants are and how they adapt to American culture and see their future in this new homeland,” according to Angela Kelley, vice president for Immigration Policy and Advocacy of the Center for American Progress.
Most respondents said that they came to the U.S. to reunite with their family, or to improve their children’s lives.
Bendixen said that most immigrants are faced with the barriers of economics, language, health care, and discrimination. As the poll found out, most women immigrants who do professional jobs in their home country would start out taking low skill positions when they first come to the U.S., and the average earnings for a month at their first job is $500.
Sixty-four percent of those interviewed claimed they speak little or no English, although Bendixen cannot assure that it reflects their actual English ability. They generally overestimate their ability, he said.
The reason for their English not being fluent, Bendixen pointed out, is that most English-as-a-second-language teachers can barely speak the immigrants’ language, so they can’t teach effectively. Another factor is that immigrants’ work schedules often conflict with class time, so they can’t attend English classes.
Karen Narasaki, president and executive director of the Asian American Justice Center said that there aren’t enough classes, the classes aren’t accessible enough, the classes are not of a high-enough quality. She suggests investing funds into these classes, especially in research on how to improve the quality of classes.
Another alarming fact is that 30 percent of women immigrants said they have no health insurance. Bendixen added that they also have no access to medicaid or medicare.
Deborah Axt, Legal Director of Make The Road New York further points out that women immigrants, especially those who are not making enough money, are subjected to sexual abuse from their bosses, and their rights should be better protected.
Irasema Garza, president of Legal Momentum said that although, “Immigrant women tend to be at the bottom of the economic ladder,” they make a big contribution to the economic growth, and that they often work as nannies, taking care of our children, so we should do more to protect their rights.
The U.S. Census found that this year there are 19.5 million women immigrants in the U.S., compared with 10.1 million in 1990, and there are more women than men immigrants. Congress might discuss immigration reform later this year, according to Kelley.
