"Couch Potatoes and Super-Women": Gender,
Migration, and the Emerging Discourse on
Housework among Asian Indian Immigrants
Title
"Couch Potatoes and Super-Women": Gender,
Migration, and the Emerging Discourse on
Housework among Asian Indian Immigrants
Migration, and the Emerging Discourse on
Housework among Asian Indian Immigrants
Creator
Bhalla, Vibha
JSTOR
JSTOR
Subject
Gender roles
Indian Americans
Immigration
Indian Americans
Immigration
Description
"Couch Potatoes and Super-Women": Gender,
Migration, and the Emerging Discourse on
Housework among Asian Indian Immigrants
VIBHA BHALLA
IN APRIL 1991 a letter written by Ms. Subbi Mathur and titled "Couch
Potatoes and Super-Women" appeared in India Abroad, the first newspaper
of the expatriate Indian community in the United States.1A quasi-humorous
piece of writing, the letter focused on the household division of labor within
Indian immigrant families in the U.S. and particularly noted Indian im
migrant wives' increasing workload as a consequence of migration. The
letter portrayed Indian women's transformation into "super-women," who
were continuously juggling increasing work at home along with their paid
work. In sharp contrast, the letter labeled Indian immigrant husbands as
"couch potatoes," or indolent men, who seemed oblivious to their wives'
increasing household responsibilities, remained glued to their couches, and
did not participate in household chores. The letter st
Migration, and the Emerging Discourse on
Housework among Asian Indian Immigrants
VIBHA BHALLA
IN APRIL 1991 a letter written by Ms. Subbi Mathur and titled "Couch
Potatoes and Super-Women" appeared in India Abroad, the first newspaper
of the expatriate Indian community in the United States.1A quasi-humorous
piece of writing, the letter focused on the household division of labor within
Indian immigrant families in the U.S. and particularly noted Indian im
migrant wives' increasing workload as a consequence of migration. The
letter portrayed Indian women's transformation into "super-women," who
were continuously juggling increasing work at home along with their paid
work. In sharp contrast, the letter labeled Indian immigrant husbands as
"couch potatoes," or indolent men, who seemed oblivious to their wives'
increasing household responsibilities, remained glued to their couches, and
did not participate in household chores. The letter st
Publisher
University of Illinois Press on behalf of the Immigration & Ethnic
History Society
History Society
Date
2008
Type
Text
Identifier
Vol. 27, No. 4 (Summer, 2008), pp. 71-99
Source
JSTOR
Journal of American Ethnic History
https://www.jstor.org/stable/27501853
Journal of American Ethnic History
https://www.jstor.org/stable/27501853
Language
English
Rights
Journal of American Ethnic History © 2008 University of Illinois Press
Collection
Citation
Bhalla, Vibha
JSTOR, “"Couch Potatoes and Super-Women": Gender,
Migration, and the Emerging Discourse on
Housework among Asian Indian Immigrants,” Santa Clara University Digital Exhibits, accessed March 13, 2025, https://dh.scu.edu/exhibits/items/show/5507.
Migration, and the Emerging Discourse on
Housework among Asian Indian Immigrants,” Santa Clara University Digital Exhibits, accessed March 13, 2025, https://dh.scu.edu/exhibits/items/show/5507.
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