World of Our Mothers Study of Jewish and Italian Immigrant Women, 1980-1983

This qualitative study examines the life stories of 100 Jewish and Italian immigrant women who built their lives and families in New York in the wake of World War I. The women had all immigrated to the United States by 1927 and were at least 13 years old at the time of immigration. All the women settled in and around New York City upon arrival in the U.S.
<br /><br /> The women (61 Jewish, 39 Italian) participated in structured interviews covering topics such as immigration, marriage, age, language, home life, food, children, family size and sexuality, home economy, entrepreneurship, work outside the home, health, education, welfare, religion, politics, philanthropy, popular culture, and godparents. The participants were recruited through announcements in the media and elsewhere. Some women contacted the project directly, while other women's families initiated the meetings.<br /><br />The Murray Archive holds additional analogue materials for this study (paper schedules with notes, typed transcripts of interview tapes, and a small number of corresponding audiotapes). If you would like to access this material, please apply to use the data. <br/><br /><b>Audio Data Availability Note:</b> This study contains audio data that have been digitized. There are 160 audio files available.