Distant but relative: Similarities and differences in gender role beliefs among African American and Vietnamese American women.
OBJECTIVE
Research attempting to identify similarities or disentangle differences in ethnic minority gender role beliefs has been largely absent in the literature, and a gap remains for qualitative examinations of such phenomena. The purpose of this study is to fill this gap in the literature by providing a qualitative examination of the differences and similarities of gender role beliefs among African American and Vietnamese American women.


METHODS
Thematic analyses were conducted with data gathered from 8 focus groups with 44 African American women (mean age = 44 years) and 4 focus Groups 47 Vietnamese American women (mean age = 42 years). Women were diverse in generational, religious, and educational backgrounds.


RESULTS
Two similar primary themes emerged: (a) women's roles as chief caretakers and (b) women's responsibility to fulfill multiple roles. There were also similar experiences of a need to convey strength and be self-sacrificial. Two distinct differences that emerged from the focus groups were beliefs about interpersonal interactions and perceptions of societal expectations.


CONCLUSIONS
This study demonstrates that the conceptualization of gender role beliefs, although at times similar, diverges among culturally different groups. To account for these and other culturally nuanced differences, measures of gender role beliefs should be culturally tailored and culturally specific. However, researchers have largely excluded ethnic minority women in the development of the most widely used measures of gender role beliefs in the U.S. The inclusion of diverse women in research will help prevent pitfalls of conflating and ignoring intragroup differences among different groups of marginalized women.
Virginia Commonwealth University.
Jasmine A
JA
Abrams
Virginia Commonwealth University.
Sarah J
SJ
Javier
Virginia Commonwealth University.
Morgan L
ML
Maxwell
Virginia Commonwealth University.
Faye Z
FZ
Belgrave
Virginia Commonwealth University.
Anh Bao
AB
Nguyen
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001213:Asian / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D005783:Gender Identity; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States; D014744:Vietnam / Q000208:ethnology; D016387:Women's Health / Q000208:ethnology*; D055815:Young Adult