Paper Topic:

Cross Cultural Perpective on Pregnancy

Running : CULTURAL VIEWS OF PREGNANCY

Cultural Views Of Pregnancy In Mexican American Culture

Name

Course

University

Tutor

Date

Abstract

Although views about pregnancy and the resultant child bearing vary in different societies , practically every world society attaches great importance to this act . Through this biological process , societies have evolved over time and various cultures and civilizations of the world have resulted from the family as a unit of procreation . Without the act of child bearing , the human race would have become extinct . It is no wonder

then that pregnant women are highly respected in many cultures because they carry the future of any society . The main purpose for writing this is to explore and discuss the Mexican American family set up , common cultural beliefs related to pregnancy and the resultant childbirth

Thesis Statement

The name Mexican Americans refers to a growing minority group in the United States of America that trace their origin back to the Mexican culture . They are also widely referred to as Chicanos and out of the American Latino population living in the US , they form about 66 of the group . They have been living in the US over a long period of time having moved from Mexico and intermarried with the Spanish as well as Indians in the South West of the US . The descendants born of these early migrants are now concentrated in States like Arizona , New Mexico Colorado , California and Texas among other states . In the Mexican American culture , the family is the most powerful part of the society and plays a very crucial role of bonding children , their parents as well as the grandparents . They have a very rich diet consisting of rice corn , tortillas , fresh fruits , chillies , various vegetables , beans and coffee as a major drink . Language dialects vary among these people depending on their region of origin although majority of them are Spanish /English speakers . The main religion among this group is Roman Catholicism with many homes dotted with pictures of saints , and shrines that have statues erected in them (Vanessa R . Kurzon

Because of the great value to children in every culture , the aspect of pregnancy is regarded as a very important event in any family Within the Mexican American culture , pregnancy is something every woman desires to get into after they are married . Pregnant women in this society are viewed with honour and respect and the family in which the woman is living have a great role of supporting her throughout this process . Pregnancy is viewed as a normal natural condition and in view of this , expectant mothers do not find it necessary to seek the assistance of a physician . Both mother and mother in law have very strong influence on an expectant mother in this society and expectant mothers rely heavily on these older women , avoiding every form of prenatal care . This is because of their sensitivity to the act of exposing parts of their body during childbirth and they thus prefer home based antenatal care...

6 pages

38.5 KB

Free sing-up