Experiences of Latin American Au Pairs in El Paso, Texas: Perceptions and Challenges in a Border Context
Abstract
For the last three decades, the French term Au Pair has been used to name the exchange program that allows foreign young people (primarily women) the possibility to immerse themselves in American culture while living, working, studying, and traveling in the United States. Within the context of globalization in which we live, this program has experienced significant growth in Latin America and Europe, among others. The purpose of this exploratory study was to explore and make visible the concerns raised by female Au Pairs from Latin America who participate in the program in El Paso, Texas, a border community along the US-Mexico Border. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken via Zoom with a convenience sample of seven women to reconstruct their cultural exchange experiences, exploring their perceptions, challenges, and realities under intersectionality and acculturation theories lenses. The study provides meaningful results regarding the Au Pair program and identifies key challenges of living in a binational city.
Subject Area
Communication|Occupational psychology
Recommended Citation
Hernández García, Nathaly Carolina, "Experiences of Latin American Au Pairs in El Paso, Texas: Perceptions and Challenges in a Border Context" (2021). ETD Collection for University of Texas, El Paso. AAI28869422.
https://scholarworks.utep.edu/dissertations/AAI28869422