Dissertation Research: Comparative Study of Gender and Disease Patterns Among Mexican Women in Atlanta and Mexico

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This project involves the dissertation research of a student of demographic anthropology from Johns Hopkins University. The project studies the connections between gender, and reproduction by comparing the experiences of recent Mexican immigrant women in Atlanta, GA and a similar group of women living still in their town of origin in Mexico. Differences in patterns of contraceptive use and sexually transmitted disease (STD) prevention will be studied in relation to the broad differences in social and cultural context. Using ethnographic techniques of in-depth interviews and participant observation the student will examine the reproductive and disease histories of a small sample of women in Atlanta for six months, then repeat the study in the village in Mexico for another six months. Then a survey will be designed to be administered to a larger population in both sites, to test hypotheses about causes of variations in contraceptive use and STD prevention. This study will advance discussions about the nature of transitional communities, and the social construction of gender. The knowledge to be gained will be very important to planners concerned with population growth and with STD prevention, as the combination of in-depth ethnography and extensive surveys will produce an understanding of patterns of variation in fertility and disease that will be valid and representative for this population.