Center for Labor Education & Research, University of Hawaii - West Oahu: Honolulu Record Digitization Project

Honolulu Record, Volume 10 No. 5 & 6, Thursday, August 29, 1957 p. B-4

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Phillipine-American Marriages Develop Midway Culture
 
A study of intermarriage and cultural change among 20 families in the Philippines of American husbands and Filipino wives revealed that:
 
In crossing ethnic lines the marriage partners tended to seek spouses of a similar social status. Most had middle-class background.

Seventy percent of the men had background of acute family disorganization. Their parents were either separated victims of acute alcoholism or acute family conflict. This suggested that the disrupted family life relaxed pressures among the men toward marriage within their own social group.  Philippine-American marriages experienced conflict because of different cultural background, although the marital partners came from similar class background. The cultural backgrounds differ with regards to modesty and proper sexual behavior, handling of family finances, association with relatives, sanitation, housekeeping standards, diet, childcare, language usage, recreational practice and religion.

These are some of the findings reported in Social Forces, March 1957. The study was made by Chester L. Hunt of Western Michigan University and Richard W. Coller, University of the Philippines.

Long Courtship

The Caucasian American husbands interviewed in the survey are employes of the U.S. armed forces in either a civilian or a military capacity. The Philippine-American families lived in or near a U.S. military base in the Philippines.
 
The men who had observed Filipina tavern hostesses with their loose conduct learned when they began courting their future wives that the behavior of the hostesses was far from typical of young Filipino womanhood.

Filipinas shunned the type of conduct of tavern hostesses and even regarded the American dating methods as immoral. The courtships were "relatively long affairs, varying from two months to two years in length, and in many cases most, of the contacts took place under the eye of a chaperone."

The "courtship patterns were mainly determined by the woman since, ostensibly at least, this was not a relationship of her seeking."

Filipinas Modest, Shy
 
The authors of the sociological study write that, "the American attitude toward petting was usually not shared by the Philippine partner, and in several instances the first kiss provoked a major crisis which threatened to break up the relationship."

The authors also explain the conflict of behavior pattern, saying, "The sexual attitude of the men grew out of the aspects of American culture characterized by loose social controls, free dissemination of sexual information, premarital sex relations, and relatively easy divorce."

On the other hand, "The Filipino wife had been raised in a culture which prohibits divorce, minimizes the concept of sexual enjoyment on the part of the woman, and places strong emphasis on shyness and modesty."

Housekeeping Standards

The authors explain that "All of the husbands expressed dissatisfaction with the housekeeping standards of the wife and the servants, and this seemed to be a constant point of tension which was never completely resolved from the standpoint of either party." Sanitary habits were a major issue.

The women accepted in varying degrees their American partners' preference for language usage, educational patterns, clothing styles and contraception.

Child care fell somewhat in the same category of conflict.

The study reports that "The results of this inquiry confirm the report of a recent report on Japanese-American marriages which found that courtship tended to be prolonged and that opposition from the brides' parents was to be expected."

The couples of the survey "did not appear to have assimilated either the American or Filipino practices, but were developing an intermediate type of culture." Thus, in housekeeping, child care methods, relationship with Relatives, diet, sexual practices, and handling of money, they followed a pattern midway between American and Philippine cultures.

p /> I do not say that at odd hours a patient must be given the regular hot dinner or supper. Few people would expect this.
 
But what is so complicated about opening and heating a can of soup, making some toast, or preparing instant coffee or tea? Why cannot a night nurse do these simple things after the kitchen to closed? Is it just too much trouble?

It is only common humanity to feed the hungry. If our hospitals are too big, too complex, too impersonal to do these small kindnesses for the sick, something is very wrong.