United States. According to Carrasquillo and Sanchez-Korrol (1996, p. 105), Puerto Ricans found it difficult to enter the work world, for a cloud of social situations much different than those from Puerto Rico overshadowed it. Resources that were available to them in Puerto Rico through the extended family, such as health care and housing, were not adequately available in the United States, because of bureaucratic issues that did not conform to those of Puerto Rico. Constant discrimination defaced the acceptance and hard work of Puerto Ricans, for they were severely labeled by other ethnic groups as lazy, uneducated and a menace to society.The capture of Puerto Rico by the United States gave the United States control of determining where Puerto Ricans would live and what types of jobs they would get, and it further complicated the discrimination and abuse that Puerto Ricans faced. Even though Puerto Ricans found it difficult to find the type of work they wanted, Puerto Ricans eventually did find work in labor-intensive manufacturing sectors such as apparel, electrical work, and furniture assembly. They also found work in maritime trades, laundry services, distribution, baking, meat packing, and as domestic workers. Puerto Ricans generally worked in harsh and unfavorable labor sectors, earned low wages, and treated like indentured servants.Many Puerto Rican immigrants who came to the United States were separated from their families. In successive generations, the Puerto Rican family structure that supported their cultural identity began to break down. Poverty, social indifference, and economic difficulties, combined with a lack of family support, made them increasingly dependent on government-sponsored social services. Although the intent of these social services was to temporarily help the less fortunate, it in fact created generations of families permanently dependent on them. This resulted in inhibiting many Puerto Ricans fr...
