Immigration and evolution: the effect of Greek immigration to America on gender and the family structure of modern Greek and Greek-American families
We, as human beings, are a migratory species. Since our birth thousands of years ago, humankind has been on the move. The first humans were nomads who travels were determined by the movement of animal herds. Although these people eventually settled and went on to form the world's greatest civilizations, the nomadic gene survived and thrives even today.
Migration is vital to the evolution of humankind. According to John Samuel, the process of migration includes a permanent or semi-permanent change of residence, settlers, landed immigrants, and asylum seekers, and a "growing awareness of another country and opportunities afforded by it" as well as "increasing application of the other society."
People migrate from one country to another for many different reasons, but the most common of these are population growth in their native country and the search for employment, political freedom, and/or human rights.
Greek immigration can actually be traced back to the time of Christ. Their movement can be attributed to economy, geography, and politics. Throughout history, Greeks have migrated to Russia, Italy, Austria, and Hungary. In the 1880s, however, Greeks began immigrating in droves to the United States; this was in response to the political and military changes occurring in Greece at the time. This massive immigration continued into the 1950s before decreasing, although there is still some Greek immigration today.
During this seventy year period, Greek immigration greatly affected the culture of the United States, adding its own flavor to the "melting pot." But how did this change affect Greek immigrants? Certainly they had to adapt to life in the United States, and one cultural aspect that changed as a result of immigration was the Greek family structure.
Family is defined as both a "domestic community, constituted essentially of a married couple and children…and other relatives” and "a group of people united by ties of blood and living together." Prior to the beginning of Greek immigration to the United States, the Greek family was a patriarchy that was both extremely valued in, and modeled after, Greek society at the time. Men were the heads and dictated all affairs; women were expected to stay at home and care for the family and were thus rendered unequal to men. The typical Greek family at the time consisted of a husband, wife, and children, as well as extended family members such as grandparents. Divorce was practically nonexistent.
Many of these traits are still apparent in modern Greek families. A typical family in today's Greece is still a patriarchy, although women have gained a stronger voice and are more likely to have employment outside of the home. This demonstrates that the Greek family's evolution correlates with that of Greek society. Still, 85% of modern Greek families consist of a husband and wife; modern Greek society is still struggling to accept cohabitation and parenthood outside of wedlock. As in the Greek family prior to immigration, extended family is of great importance. Additionally, issues such as sexuality and female equality are still controversial.
Traces of the Old World linger in today's Greek-American family. Marriage is still very important, especially as a means of maintaining Greek heritage. Therefore, many Greek-American parents want their children to marry other Greeks or Greek-Americans. This is exemplified in the surprise hit My Big Fat Greek Wedding; the main character shocks her parents by first waiting to marry and then marrying a man who is not Greek.
Nevertheless, the modern Greek-American family is also quite different from her Greek cousins. Divorce, though not the norm, is still more common than in Greece, as is cohabitation and having children outside of marriage. Additionally, the Greek patriarchy has slowly given way to more equality within the family structure, and Greek-American women are very definitely a part of the non-domestic world.
So, what is in store for the Greek and Greek-American family, and for the women involved? Both are moving toward a state of accepting, and actively promoting, evolution and gender equality.
Works Cited
Bakalaki, Alexandra. “Urbanization and Kinship in Modern Greece." Current Anthropology. 33 (1992): 336-339. This article is a scholarly review of the book The Making of the Modern Greek Family: Marriage and Exchange in Nineteenth-Century Athens by Paul Sant Cassia and Constantina Bada. The article discusses Greek marriages between 1788 and 1834.
Bakopanos, Christine and Sandra M. Gifford. “The Changing Ties That Bind: Issues Surrounding Sexuality and Health for Greek Parents and Their Australian-born Sons and Daughters.” Journal of Family Issues. 22 (2001): 358-385. This article discusses the impact of sexual issues such as orientation and sexually transmitted diseases on Greek immigrants and their children.
Dimitriou, E.C. “Research on Individual Differences in Children and Adolescents: A Greek Perspective.” This article discusses the various problems that children in Greece face.
“Greek Immigrants.” Online. Internet. www.ancestry.com/home/celebrate/camefrom/greece.htm. 18 November 2002. This website gives facts on Greek immigration to America.
“History and Heritage: Utah’s Greek Americans.” Online. Internet. www.kued.org/productions/greeks/history/index.html. 18 November 2002. This webpage tells about the history of Greek-Americans in Utah. It also tells why they came to Utah and the positive effect their culture had on the community.
“Immigration to Acclimation.” Hellenic Museum and Culture Center. Online Internet. www.hellenicmuseum.org/gallery/immigrationtoacclimation.html. 18 November 2002. This website is actually a review of an exhibit of Greek-American artifacts.
Likeridou, Katerina, et al. “Family Dynamics of Child-bearing Families in Athens, Greece: A Pilot Study.” International Journal of Nursing Practice. 7 (2001): 30-37. This article, which was originally a research paper, talks about Greek family dynamics when the wife is in her final three months of pregnancy.
Makedon, Alexander. “The Social Psychology of Immigration: The Greek-American Experience.” Online. Internet. http://webs.csu.edu/~big0ama/articles/GreekAmerican.html. 18 November 2002. This offering from Chicago State University addresses a myriad of topics, including how Greeks are perceived in the United States and the Greek-American culture. This website will be referenced in the fifth part of my paper.
Martin, Vanessa. “Illusions of the City.” Journal of Urban History. 23 (1997): 760-770. This article also features a review of The Making of the Modern Greek Family. It discusses the impact of urbanization on Greek families. It will be cited in the second section of my paper.
Samuel, John. “Migration and Development.” International Development Information Centre. Online. Internet. www.acdi-cida.gc.ca/xpress/dex/dex9805.htm. 18 November 2002. This webpage explores the history, benefits, and logistics of immigration.
Wagstaff, Malcolm. “Family Size in the Peloponnese (Southern Greece) in 1700.” Journal of Family History. 26 (2001): 337-349. This article gives information on the family size and structure in Greece, specifically southern Greece, in 1700. It also includes a definition of family.
Young, Nellann. “Keeping His Cultural Identity Important To Greek Immigrant.” Online. Internet. www.vic.com/siopsis/apostolos/immigrants.htm. 18 November 2002. This article is about a Greek immigrant who has been in the United States for eighteen years and has still not become an American citizen.