Immigrant sons were expected to work the family store while daughters stayed home

Evidence

Eventually both men married women from the West Bank, and each had three daughters and two sons, all American born, “unfortunately,” Akram now says with a sly shrug. The sons were important, because when they were old enough, they could help in the store. Daughters, on the other hand, were to stay at home and help their mothers. When they were about ten years old, the boys spent their Saturdays at the store, sweeping up and stocking the lower shelves that were within easy reach. By high school they had grown taller and stronger and worked every day after their classes. By the time they reached college, they did their homework during stolen moments of respite at the store. The two oldest sons finally moved on—one became a city worker, the other a car mechanic—and store duty fell to the younger sons. The boys split their time on the cash register. They learned how to charm customers while ringing up their sales, and they Americanized their names for the store. Akram reversed his and dropped a letter, becoming Mark. Kareem became Sal, and they began spending more time at the store than anywhere else. — Moustafa Bayoumi, How Does It Feel to Be a Problem? Being…, 479

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the classic immigrant-labor-family dynamics in The Namesake (same library) and to the broader literature on gendered immigrant labor.