Racialization and the US Latina Experience: Economic Implications

This brief paper explores the economic implications of the racialization of Latinas, focusing primarily on women of Mexican background, with special attention to the historical and contemporary experiences of this group in the Midwest. The author discusses three interrelated processes that help explain the social positioning of Mexican-American and Mexican immigrant women in the region: the production of a "commodity identity" image, spatial barrioization (creation of segregated, generally poor barrio neighborhoods), and "outsider racialization." She also analyzes the income status of Latina women in terms of their reproductive responsibilities and productive work.