If I had to plan an experiment or survey that had to do with my project, I would decide to focus on women, especially immigrant women and how they deal with daily life. Through this research I would like to discover not only how gender roles play a role in their daily life, but also on their mental health. I want to be able to compare the difference between the mental health and effect of gender roles on American women and women who are not from this country. I hope this experiment would tell me what these immigrant women need from the mental health institutions. Often times women who are not from this country feel as if they are not able to relate or even express their emotions like American women. As a result, many mental health institutions end up not being able to support these women. In order to do these I would ask:

Age? Race? Where are you from?

First in order to compare them, I have to get some basic information so I can know who gave what results and how to analyze why they might have given these results. All these can affect how the person answers. Someone who is younger, even if they are an immigrant, might have more freedom than someone who is older. Race also plays a major role. These are all factors in how women in life are treated and how their mental health is.

Explain a day in your life?

To me this is an is an important question because a lot of times, you can see someone’s mental health by the way they chose to spend their days. This could let me know how often they leave their house or if they are stuck doing chores all day.  If people are not going outside and do not have time for themselves often times you can become depressed. I am also asking this so I can compare the lives of these women and see if that correlates with their mental health or how gender roles affect their lives?

Do you have free time to treat yourself?

When I get very stressed, it is usually when I have no time to do self care and relax. In order for me to distress, I need to relax and focus on myself. Some women are lucky enough to have time to take care of themselves. Many women however, do not have this time. Women who are older and are immigrants usually have children and those are the women I want to get more information on how these women’s lives could be improved for them to get a better mental health.

Do you have any strong women figures in your life?

Often women need a strong figure in their life. It is important to have a strong female figure or someone whom you can talk to. Many women keep their emotions inside and bury them. Having someone who you can rant to and that can help you is very important. If you don’t have this, it can be a big problem to your mental health because you are facing the world alone.

What is your biggest goal or dream?

Again, most people should have a goal they are fighting toward. If they don’t, they might not have any motivation. Many people focus on others and never on themselves. It is important to have a goal and try to reach it. But this is easier said than done. Many women who come here from another country just try to survive and go through a hard time. Many people I have asked what their goal is often say “I want my children to be happy,” but don’t speak about themselves.

These questions will help me as a writer, because it will help me analyze what women really need. They will help me get actual results, instead of me just assuming things based on my biases and preconceived notions. This survey could show that many women who are immigrants do not have the same privileges as other women. Just telling them take time for yourself could not help. Many have other responsibilities. Many times mental health solutions were created by western women, which causes a problem for women who do not fit into this category. Hopefully this survey will not only asses the mental health of these women, but also what they already have and what they don’t have, so someone helping them does not have to recommend ideas that they are unable to do.

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