ABSTRACT
This chapter explores women's participation in the garment industry in conjunction with immigration legislative policy. It investigates how paid employment relates to the culture of their home land, and the cross-cultural experiences they face working in the United States. The chapter discusses the role of immigrants in United States society and the legislative policies which affect their lives. The French and Spanish were a small number of the total population of the Continental United States, with the majority remaining in areas not officially a part of the United States. The patterns of immigrant arrivals to the United States since that time resemble the waves on the ocean, with a current large wave rising and looking ready to break. The men had immigrated to the United States and Canada out of family financial need and a lack of work in their home areas. "Unskilled labor" is another assumption regarding the work that women do in the garment and textile industry.
