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<p>Although women are increasingly financially autonomous, many women experience significant economic precarity that they must navigate to survive. Drawing on interview data from the American Voices Project, we explored how thirty-two Mexican immigrant women discuss their heterosexual partnerships. Some Mexican immigrant women describe their intimate relationships as strategically helping them achieve familial uplift, resolve situations, or fulfill personal aspirations. Our analyses reveal that men often initiate these relationships and that these romantic pairings offer benefits for <i>both</i> partners. These findings align with Cerdeña's (Pressing Onward: The Imperative Resilience of Latina Migrant Mothers, University of California Press, Berkeley, 2023) concept of “strategic coupling” as one way that Latina immigrants in the US exercise agency and resilience to improve their lives despite significant structural barriers. We extend the concept of strategic coupling by specifying three distinct functions that such relationships resolve and their mutual benefits. We encourage scholars to further document the creative tactics that immigrants and others use to endure challenging times.</p>

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Strategic coupling and the imperative resilience of Mexican immigrant women in the United States

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年10月29日

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  • Eileen Díaz McConnell,
  • Irene I. Vega,
  • Rocío Rosales

摘要

Although women are increasingly financially autonomous, many women experience significant economic precarity that they must navigate to survive. Drawing on interview data from the American Voices Project, we explored how thirty-two Mexican immigrant women discuss their heterosexual partnerships. Some Mexican immigrant women describe their intimate relationships as strategically helping them achieve familial uplift, resolve situations, or fulfill personal aspirations. Our analyses reveal that men often initiate these relationships and that these romantic pairings offer benefits for both partners. These findings align with Cerdeña's (Pressing Onward: The Imperative Resilience of Latina Migrant Mothers, University of California Press, Berkeley, 2023) concept of “strategic coupling” as one way that Latina immigrants in the US exercise agency and resilience to improve their lives despite significant structural barriers. We extend the concept of strategic coupling by specifying three distinct functions that such relationships resolve and their mutual benefits. We encourage scholars to further document the creative tactics that immigrants and others use to endure challenging times.