ABSTRACT
Traditional values and customs were inevitably influenced by American culture once Middle Eastern families settled in the United States. Yet perhaps the most significant challenge to Middle Easterners both at home and in the United States has come from Western myths about Arabs. To understand the role of Middle Eastern women requires an understanding of Middle Eastern values, particularly in terms of the family and, in some women's cases, its relationship to Islam. According to Abraham and Abraham (1983), Middle Eastern family values include a competitive spirit, an ethic of hard work, thrift, perseverance, shrewdness, and conservatism. There was a shift in perception, however, when the women were asked to describe the power they have as women in both American and Middle Eastern societies. In both cases, personal authority attributes were used more frequently than attributes from any of the other models.
