Current perspectives on gender roles and relationships in immigrant families

The exploration of family relationships and functioning in immigrant families has gained considerable attention. Researchers recognize that the theoretical and methodological approaches to child development and family processes must be situated within a sociocultural framework, especially when the focus is on immigrant families (e.g., see Chuang & Moreno, 2008; Chuang & Tamis-LeMonda, 2009; Lansford, Deater-Deckard, & Bornstein, 2007). However, the intersection of immigration and gender is less explored. Gender is a socially constructed concept that refers to "all the duties, rights, and behaviors a culture considers appropriate for males and females" (Wade & Tavris, 1999 , p. 16). Gender is a fundamental and salient social category that perhaps holds more information value than any other category (e.g., Stangor, Lynch, Duan, & Glass, 1992).