Sewing Women, a book by Margaret M. Chin, describes the insides of the clothing industry in New York City. Women heavily depended on their job at the factory in order to provide for their family. Since they were paid for every piece of clothing they created, they were extremely hardworking. Many immigrant families did not have a lot of money and relied on the dual breadwinning family model in order to support the family. Work was the top priority for these women, anything so that their children would have a meal on the table every night.

My mother’s side of the family fit perfectly with the book’s description; all the wives were working in the clothing factories since immigrating here from China. Though it might not be the best job, my mother and aunts were able to find a place to earn a living. They would spend hours on the sewing machine, making different pieces of clothing, just so we could eat at home. My mother found her old sewing job entertaining, as she would sit next to many of her old village neighbors. She would recognize many other employees that came from her home in China, which allowed her to connect and gossip while working. Margaret mentions this connection in her book as the importance of “embeddedness in coethnic relations” and how it played an important role in the Chinese immigration and work place.

With both of my parents usually at work, me and my cousins would be looked over by our grandparents. This was extremely important for most Chinese families, with grandparents to look over the children while the adults work all day. The book mentions that even though the mothers are working, “grandparents were extremely important, they supplied the pillar within the family.”

 

Citations:

Chin, Margaret May. Sewing Women: Immigrants and the New York City Garment Industry. New York: Columbia UP, 2005. Print.