Historicidad del origen del concepto de evaluación

As previously mentioned, most participants were married to Latin Americans at the time of the research. Most of them immigrated with their husbands, who shared the same nationality and social background. The remaining women met their husbands in Australia, not necessarily of the same nationality, but all of them Latin Americans or Spanish- speakers. A common factor among most women who married in Australia was the need to share their lives with a Spanish-speaking or Latin American partner. Iris explained her personal experience:

I came to Australia when I was 18, and 3 years later I got married to a Uruguayan. I always imagined myself with a Uruguayan or someone similar to me. I think that never…back at that time and even today…I couldn’t be with anyone else. My whole background comes from somewhere else, with other values, another culture, and to me all that is very important. At that time it was very difficult to find another

person. I had some local friends, but I couldn’t see myself with a partner who wouldn’t be from the same …I wouldn’t say nationality, but at least South American (Iris)

Laura described a considerable cultural distance perceived between the Latin American and the Australian way of behaving and expressing emotions:

I think that when I came I did it with one idea and then you change with what you find here, you change your mind [she laughs]. When you come, you think “I’m going to Australia, I will certainly find an Australian partner”. And then…you meet Australians…but it’s like you don’t fit much. You don’t fit with your ideas, with your way of behaving, with the language, it’s like you feel more comfortable with people of your own nationality (Laura)

According to some authors (Litcher, Brown, Qian, & Carmalt, 2007; Qian, 1997, 2004; Qian & Cobas, 2004), immigrants tend to marry within their own ethnic community – or within communities sharing similar economic, cultural and language heritage – when they have not reached an advanced level of economic and social integration with the broader society. When immigrants have low levels of education and limited English knowledge, possibilities to socially exchange with members of the host society are scarce. Mixed marriages are a sign that intimate and sincere relationships between individuals of different ethnic groups have successfully taken place and that not only them but also the

economic integration. When immigrants encounter limited opportunities to exchange with the host society due to cultural and language distances, and when their labour outcome is segregated to low paid, unskilled or semi-skilled positions, they remain constantly trapped in an isolated social cycle. It is expected that most Latin American women in similar conditions felt closer to co-nationals or other Spanish-speaking partners in Australia.

Many participants referred to the immigration and acculturation experience as a process that strengthened the partnership with their husbands. Especially for those women who immigrated already married, the experience of being overseas without any other close relatives promoted a closer bond between husband and wife:

With us, I think that the result was positive, we got to know each other more, and as we had to deal with all this immigration process, we became better partners (Elsa)

We have always been very good partners, always. Although I always say “I was brought here”, not happily because I didn’t really want to come, we have always been just us…we had a very good marriage, he used to listen to me a lot each time I would cry, he was very supportive. Not now that he complains when I cry! [she laughs] After so many years of being married! (Alma)

My husband helped me so much to adapt to Australia, so much…We are good partners in everything, we also share hobbies, we are both crazy about our community work at the radio. He gives me his shoulder and support me in anything I do, we have always been excellent partners, married for 32 years… (Betina)

As described by Isabel, Australian life had also facilitated a closer relationship with her partner and helped disentangle some traditional functions based in “Latin machismo” within Chilean families:

Here we’ve been much closer, with our kids and everything. I think that the immigration was a good thing for the family life. My husband has participated much more in our family than a traditional Chilean man. Look, in Latin America, men are leaders, they feel they can go back home whenever they feel like. So many of them have a second hidden woman. Here it’s not like that, here is from work to home. It’s like they don’t have anywhere to go! There is nothing to do here! [she laughs] Well, they can play sports…We have always played sports and do other things, so we have always stayed together. We have been a close family, so I find that immigration was good in that sense (Isabel)