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Work Experiences of Professional West Indian Immigrant

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WORK EXPERIENCES OF PROFESSIONAL WEST INDIAN IMMIGRANT WOMEN IN THE UNITED STATES: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF APPLIED AND PROFESSIONAL PSYCHOLOGY OF RUTGERS THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW JERSEY BY KYLA-GAYE SIMONE BARRETT IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE DOCTOR OF PSYCHOLOGY NEW BRUNSWICK, NEW JERSEY MAY, 2010 APPROVED: ____________________________ Karen Riggs Skean, Psy.D. ____________________________ Nancy Boyd-Franklin, Ph.D. DEAN: ____________________________ Stanley Messer, Ph.D. Copyright 2010 by Kyla-Gaye Barrett ABSTRACT This dissertation explores the work experiences of professional West Indian immigrant English-speaking women in the United States. Much study has been dedicated to the experiences and success of West Indian immigrant women and men in service and domestic roles (Bonnett, 1990; Waters, 1999; Foner, 2008). The study explores these professional immigrant women’s experiences attaining career success in the United States racial society. Data was obtained from 12 professional West Indian immigrant women using semi-structured interviews conducted by the researcher. These interviews explored: the participants’ experiences with immigration, their employment experiences as immigrants, the challenges they faced in their work environments, their experiences in attaining career success, their experiences interacting with non-West Indians and with individuals born in the United States, their social support systems, and their experiences attaining work-family balance in the United States. Major findings include migration motivated by financial and educational improvement, mixed experiences with West Indian cohesiveness and general job satisfaction. Challenges at work included cultural differences, ethnic/racial tensions, being excluded by Americans, and low expectations for professional West Indian women. Some participants also experienced slower career progression, had limited professional and social interaction with non-West Indians, and expended greater efforts in balancing work-family demands, had weakened family relationships with relations back home, and limited use and reliance on mentors and professional networks and associations. Qualitative analysis revealed a high level of career success among these West Indian women, attended by significant psychological, emotional, financial and professional costs. The challenges faced by these Black ii professional West Indian women in the United States mirror those encountered by some African Americans. Due to their meritocratic outlook and socialization to de-emphasize race some of these West Indian women appeared to be initially unprepared to maneuver these challenges and expended greater efforts to attain career success. Despite participants attempts to develop strong professional and social relationships with non- West Indians many were rebuffed. Participants who established stronger relationships with non-West Indians and West Indians (for example mentoring relationships and professional networking) appeared to experience higher levels of career success in the United States. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS To the only wise God, thank you for giving me the strength and acumen to complete this study. In You I do trust. To the participants of this study, I cannot express how grateful I am to you for sharing your experiences with me. You were an invaluable help in this process and I could not have done this study without your involvement. A big thanks to my committee members Karen Riggs Skean, and Nancy Boyd-Franklin. I truly appreciate the guidance, support and encouragement you both imparted. To my family, especially my parents thank you for your support, prayers and encouragement. You have been a rock to me, and I could not have done it without you! Special thanks to Tracy McFarlane; one could not ask for a better mentor! You gave the right advice and have always been there when I needed you most. Thank you! To my all my friends, advocates, and ‘sisters’ thank you for your encouragement, prayers, and support throughout this process. I am blessed to have you as friends. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE ABSTRACT ...............................................................................................................ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................................................iv LIST OF TABLES .....................................................................................................xii CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................1 II. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ......................................................6 History of West Indian Migration .........................................................6 United States Immigration ............................................................6 Caribbean Migration ..............................................................6 History of the Caribbean ...............................................................7 Migration to the United States ...............................................10 West Indian Goals for Migration ...........................................12 Migration to the United States ...............................................10 Assimilation and Integration ..................................................14 Ethnic Identity Theory ..................................................14 West Indian American Ethnic Identity .........................15 West Indian Families ............................................................................20 West Indian Family Structure ........................................................20 Work-family Balance and West Indian Women ....................21 West Indian Success .............................................................................22 Meritocratic Beliefs .....................................................................22 Explanations for West Indian Americans Success .................23 Examining Hypotheses for West Indian Americans Success ...................................................................................25 Theoretical Explanations for West Indian Success ................28 Selectivity Theory .........................................................28 Segmented Assimilation ...............................................28 World Systems Theory .................................................29 West Indian Enterprise .........................................................30 v Labor Market Incorporation .................................................32 Occupational Mobility of Professional West Indians..................................................................33 Ethnic Minority Success in the Workplace ..........................36 Determinants of Career Success ...........................................40 Objective and Subjective Success ...............................40 Factors Influencing Career Success ............................40 Education .....................................................................40 Gender .........................................................................41 Mentors ........................................................................41 Career Tactics ..............................................................41 West Indian Immigrant Women ...........................................42 Research Questions ............................................................................43 III. METHODOLOGY ...............................................................................44 Qualitative Research .............................................................................44 The Long Interview .......................................................................45 Participants .............................................................................46 Use of Self as Researcher ......................................................48 Researcher ...................................................................48 Procedures ....................................................................................49 Participant Recruitment .........................................................49 Data Collection ......................................................................50 Measures ................................................................................50 Demographic Questionnaire ........................................50 Interview Protocol .......................................................50 Data Analysis .........................................................................51 IV. RESULTS .............................................................................................53 Overview ...............................................................................................53 Immigration Experiences ......................................................................54 Reasons for Migrating to the United States .................................54 Land of Opportunity ..............................................................54 Reunification with Family .....................................................56 Escape Political Situation ......................................................56 First Interactions in the United States ..........................................57 West Indian Exposure ............................................................57 Non-West Indian Exposure ....................................................58
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