Marcela Villa emigrated from the Mexican State of Guerrero seven years ago. Back in her hometown, machismo is a "normal" part of life, and domestic violence and discrimination against women "a common, everyday occurrence." Moreover, women don't protest against their partners' abuse.

However, when she arrived in the Big Apple, Marcela's "view of men" changed. She grew up with the idea that women are worth less than men and "good for nothing," an ideology that she "got rid of." She is a working mother and earns the same amount as her husband; her family depends on her.

"My husband respects me because I am a woman that knows how to manage on her own. With my job I bring home income, I also cook, clean the house and take care of the children," said Marcela. She thinks it is easier for a Mexican woman to be independent and appreciated in New York than in Mexico.

Outside the house

Similarly, Magdalena Herrera said that in her hometown of Ajalpán, Puebla, she was never able to make any progress. The men in her community think that a woman should stay at home and take care of the family.

"My father got upset when I left the house to come to New York, because he wanted me to stay home and take care of my mother, me being the youngest daughter. Here I've been able to earn money and save up. In my hometown I was never going to accomplish anything," said Magdalena, who separated from her husband who subjected her to domestic violence. Since then, she has tried to teach her 3-year-old daughter "to love herself as a woman and to not let any man humiliate her."