Asian-American Women, Families, and Generations

Gender and Immigration in Asian-American History

Gender shapes their immigration; Asian-American immigration took place upon “gendered routes” (both men and women)
Factors in home country shaping gendered routes: tradition, patriarchy, practicality
- bound feet in china
Factors in host country: economic logic of American commercial interests
Resulted in “bachelor societies” of Asian immigrants in the United States
for Chinese, only 9000 women migrated before 1882 (compared to 332000 men)

Gender and orientlisim: the case of Afong Moy during the 1830 and 1840

Afong Moy was the first known female Chinese immigrant to the United States. In 1834, Moy was brought from her hometown of Guangzhou to New York City by traders Nathaniel and Frederick Carne, and exhibited as "The Chinese Lady".

Ealry chinese women immigrants 1840-1882

3 types: prostitute;indentrued servants, merhcant wives

Prostitutes: sex trafficing from china to US west
indentrued servents: “muui Tsai” (little sister)
Merchant wives: well off yet sitll restricted lives (bound feet as a metaphor)

Angel Island, san fransico 1910-1940

From 1910 to 1940, the Angel Island Immigration Station in San Francisco Bay was the main entry point for immigrants to the United States from the Pacific Coast. It processed millions of immigrants, including:

Chinese immigrants: The majority of the approximately 175,000 Chinese immigrants who came to the United States during this time were detained on Angel Island.
Japanese immigrants: Approximately 150,000 Japanese immigrants passed through the station.
Other immigrants: The station also processed immigrants from other parts of the world.

Early Japanese women migration

Senpu (“debased women)-prosituties
awarre of prejucice against chinese women, the japanaese govermnt curberd migration of senpu, US allows migration of japanese women
1900: 410 married japanese woemn; 1920; 22,193 MARRIED JAPESNE WOMEN
Implication for family formation, community?
picture bride passport no longer granted by 1920 (anti japanese setniment in the west

Note