The process of paradoxical autonomy and survival in the heroin careers of Mexican American women

FRANÇAIS :
A partir de 14 histoires de vie recueillies et analysées, cet article aborde le lien entre le partage des rôles hommes-femmes dans la communauté mexicaine et l' "autonomie paradoxale" à laquelle accèdent les femmes d'origine mexicaine héroïnomanes. Il s'agit d'une indépendance ou d'une distance nouvelle vis-à-vis du couple, de la famille et des enfants. Cette autonomie, souvent vécue de façon ambiguë, est loin de rendre l'existence plus douce et ne soustrait en rien ces femmes à la pauvreté, à la discrimination ethnique, à l'héroïnomanie.
ENGLISH :
This study focuses on the process of paradoxical autonomy and survival in the heroin careers of Mexican American women. We explore how gender roles among Mexican American female heroin users influence the emergence of a paradoxical autonomy. Five key subprocesses of this autonomy were identified from 14 life history narratives: sustaining employment, working the welfare system, illegal activities, emotional aloofness, and loss of family and children. Dependency on drugs did not lead simply to the reproduction of traditional gender dependency but, paradoxically, seemed to contribute to a new type of gender autonomy. This autonomy did not necessarily make the survival less arduous, only more independent from gendered responsibilities associated with men and often with family and children. We discuss how this paradoxical autonomy is not acquired without ambiguity by some of these women, who place a value on maintaining relationships with men and family. Our study makes a contribution to a better understanding of the diverse processes by which Mexican American female heroin users struggle to survive. Although this struggle leads to a paradoxical autonomy form their traditional gender roles, it does little to change other barriers to self-development originating from poverty, ethnic discrimination, and the severity of their drug addiction. (Editor' s abstract)