Jaybelle and thousands of other Filipino and Filipina immigrants bear the burden of scouring for finances while feeling discrimination as people of color in the work force, carry the reputation of their homeland through their behaviors amidst unfamiliar American culture, and hold a hope for the actualization of the American Dream. The significance behind Jaybelle’s transnational journey delves deeper than the blanket generalizations that “all Filipina immigrants are caretakers or nurses” and validates the histories behind her experiences in migrating to America as well as the ambitions for social mobility as a nurse of color. The “push and pull” migration forces in her life contribute to the self-made woman she is today, rising from a poverty-stricken
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Although forced, her migration to American ultimately rooted in the socioeconomic status she faced growing up. Growing up without many life essentials, learning how to survive on a tight budget, and being deprived of the opportunity for social mobility in a third-world country became the push to embark on a transnational endeavor to an unfamiliar country. According to Yen Le Espiritu’s historical novel Home Bound: Filipino American Lives across Culture, Communities and Countries, “For many Filipino migrants to the United States, migration is attractive not so much because of the promise of lucrative jobs or unlimited mobility but because of the differential between their potential earnings in the United States and in the Philippines” (31). Many Filipinos including Jaybelle conformed to the trend of seeking better economic opportunities, both by being able to start anew in a new society as well as having a secured, well-paid occupation. In addition, the higher wages of American nurses also enticed many Filipinos into migrating to America. World Salaries’ compared the earnings of U.S. professional nurses to professional nurses of the Philippines and found that American nurses received $3,168 for their net monthly income while Filipino nurses received $647 for their net monthly income (World …show more content…
Her parents forced her into this job because they wanted to capitalize on their daughter’s academic abilities. Jaybelle’s parents have always pressured her to conform to their expectations and pushing her to pursue nursing could have made Jaybelle a vehicle for her parents’ socioeconomic mobility. The wages of American nurses juxtaposed with the wages of Filipino nurses highlights the economic opportunities the United States has to offer for foreign professionals. Her parents capitalized on this idea and vicariously obtained an increase in wealth and material things through Jaybelle’s choice to continue nursing school. Catherine Ceniza Choy noted the “marketability” of Filipina women (Choy, 337) in an article entitled “Relocating Struggle: Filipino Nurses Organize in the United States”. The American job market was interested in foreign labor initially because of World War II, where there was a depletion in health care professionals, and of the desperation of hopeful immigrants for American prosperity, since many foreigners are willing to fill in undesirable shifts and positions in order to seize opportunities in the United States. Jaybelle’s parents were aware of her intelligence, meticulousness, obedience, and desire to help others, thus being marketable for American job opportunities. However, Jaybelle deviated from the norm in which she was content with living in the Philippines as a news
Although forced, her migration to American ultimately rooted in the socioeconomic status she faced growing up. Growing up without many life essentials, learning how to survive on a tight budget, and being deprived of the opportunity for social mobility in a third-world country became the push to embark on a transnational endeavor to an unfamiliar country. According to Yen Le Espiritu’s historical novel Home Bound: Filipino American Lives across Culture, Communities and Countries, “For many Filipino migrants to the United States, migration is attractive not so much because of the promise of lucrative jobs or unlimited mobility but because of the differential between their potential earnings in the United States and in the Philippines” (31). Many Filipinos including Jaybelle conformed to the trend of seeking better economic opportunities, both by being able to start anew in a new society as well as having a secured, well-paid occupation. In addition, the higher wages of American nurses also enticed many Filipinos into migrating to America. World Salaries’ compared the earnings of U.S. professional nurses to professional nurses of the Philippines and found that American nurses received $3,168 for their net monthly income while Filipino nurses received $647 for their net monthly income (World …show more content…
Her parents forced her into this job because they wanted to capitalize on their daughter’s academic abilities. Jaybelle’s parents have always pressured her to conform to their expectations and pushing her to pursue nursing could have made Jaybelle a vehicle for her parents’ socioeconomic mobility. The wages of American nurses juxtaposed with the wages of Filipino nurses highlights the economic opportunities the United States has to offer for foreign professionals. Her parents capitalized on this idea and vicariously obtained an increase in wealth and material things through Jaybelle’s choice to continue nursing school. Catherine Ceniza Choy noted the “marketability” of Filipina women (Choy, 337) in an article entitled “Relocating Struggle: Filipino Nurses Organize in the United States”. The American job market was interested in foreign labor initially because of World War II, where there was a depletion in health care professionals, and of the desperation of hopeful immigrants for American prosperity, since many foreigners are willing to fill in undesirable shifts and positions in order to seize opportunities in the United States. Jaybelle’s parents were aware of her intelligence, meticulousness, obedience, and desire to help others, thus being marketable for American job opportunities. However, Jaybelle deviated from the norm in which she was content with living in the Philippines as a news