Katharine M. Donato

Mapping Gender and Migration in Sociological Scholarship: Is It Segregation or Integration?

A review of the sociological research about gender and migration shows the substantial ways in which gender fundamentally organizes the social relations and structures influencing the causes and consequences of migration. Yet, although a significant sociological research has emerged on gender and migration in the last three decades, studies are not evenly distributed across the discipline. In this article, we map the recent intellectual history of gender and migration in the field of sociology and then systematically assess the extent to which studies on engendering migration have appeared in four widely read journals of sociology (American Journal of Sociology, American Sociological Review, Demography, and Social Forces). We follow with a discussion of these studies, and in our conclusions, we consider how future gender and migration scholarship in sociology might evolve more equitably.

Counting on Kin: Social Networks, Social Support, and Child Health Status

This article presents the results of new data collection in Mexico about the relationship between child well-being and social networks. Two research questions guide the analysis. First, under what conditions do networks generate greater (lesser) support? Second, what kinds of networks are associated with healthier children? We explore the health status effects of several dimensions of social networks, including network size, kinship roles, interaction (proximity, contact, and coresidence), and provision of financial and emotional support. Our key findings suggest that networks containing more extended kin and coresident ties offer greater support resources to mothers with young children, especially among the poorest households. We also find that network structures characterized by more social support and greater interaction with extended, rather than immediate, kin help sustain healthier children. Together these findings indicate the advantages of examining specific role relationships in network research among economically marginalized families and attest to the importance of social networks founded on principles of reciprocity, confianza, and compadrazgo to the well-being of Mexican families.

Shifts in the Employment Conditions of Mexican Migrant Men and Women The Effect of U.S. Immigration Policy

Prior studies suggest that the passage of the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) in 1986 signaled deterioration in the labor market conditions faced by Mexican migrant men. In this article, the authors examine whether and how labor market conditions changed for migrant women after 1986, and the extent to which these shifts were comparable to those experienced by men. Using data about household heads and their spouses from the Mexican Migration Project, they examine sex differences in five employment conditions: hourly wages, hours worked, and the likelihoods of receiving wages in cash and paying federal and Social Security taxes. The authors find significant gender differences in the post-1986 period, especially after 1993 when most avenues to legal visas disappeared. These findings document negative policy impacts on the employment conditions of Mexican migrant men and women, and they suggest particularly precarious employment conditions for women since 1994.

Does Unauthorized Status Reduce Exposure to Pesticides? Evidence From the National Agricultural Workers Survey

Ample scholarship suggests that unauthorized immigrants are more likely to face occupational hazards because their lack of legal status makes them more vulnerable to workplace abuse. Despite much research documenting how legal status affects wages, employment, and job stability, few studies have empirically analyzed impacts of legal status on the employment conditions of hired farmworkers. In this article we examine whether unauthorized farmworkers are more likely to handle pesticides and receive pesticide training. We use the National Agricultural Workers Survey, a data set that distinguishes between unauthorized, authorized, and citizen workers. Results from descriptive statistics and multivariate analyses suggest, contrary to expectation, that unauthorized legal status is associated with a reduced likelihood of handling pesticides or receiving training for pesticides. This finding is bolstered by results for control variables associated with unauthorized status, such as age and U.S. agricultural employment experience. Taken together, the results are consistent with labor market segmentation theory that suggests jobs encompassing occupational hazards are allocated to or held by more experienced workers who are better compensated for the risks they undertake.

Understanding the Economic Consequences of Mexican Immigration to the United States Much Done but More to Do

Recent decades have witnessed dramatic increases in U.S. immigration, especially from Mexico. In a new book, Mexican Immigration to the United States, George Borjas continues a long line of research that articulates how this rising tide of immigration is linked to our national well-being. This edited book brings together a diverse set of articles written by some of the nations best economists and presented in 2005 at a conference in Cambridge, Massachusetts. No doubt, it is an important book to read if one is interested in understanding the supply side concerns of economists interested in immigration. Yet despite my own keen interest in this topic, the book as a whole only narrowly addresses the economic effects of Mexican immigration because it fails to incorporate sociological and other perspectives. Such a missed opportunity suggests how much more needs to be done to understand the economic outcomes of immigrants in U.S. labor markets.