Alone in paradise: Exploring intersectionality with single, immigrant mothers in Canada
Abstract
Researchers have traditionally examined and explored immigration and single motherhood in isolation from one another. In the research reported in this thesis, I adopted intersectionality theory as the framework to examine the lived experiences of single, immigrant mothers in Alberta, Canada. This includes investigating single motherhood and immigration in relation to the
intersections of gender, ethnicity, social class within the context of cross-cultural transitioning, diverse mothering ideologies, and shifting social locations. The aim of the study was to gain insight into the challenges that single, immigrant mothers face and thereby to inform the provision of counselling services for them. The findings indicate that the single, immigrant mother participants’ lived experiences and acculturation processes were influenced by discourses related to gender, ethnicity, and mothering, from both their former world and their new world. Findings also revealed that single, immigrant mothers’ relationships with their children were affected by the intersectionality of their cultural identities. Service providers play an important role in supporting these mothers through their cross-cultural transitions; this study provides insights into how they can better address the specific and complex needs of this population.
Notes
Community organizations: n/a
Integration timeline: less than 5 years in Canada
Location: Unspecified city in Alberta
Future research / gaps identified:
Explore the experiences of single immigrant mothers with further intersectional identities that this study didn’t specifically examine.
Key findings:
1) Single, immigrant mothers experienced a paradox between their ‘former world’ and ‘new world’ where perceived good fortune after immigration was negotiated with feelings of loss.
2) Perceived good fortune post-immigration was stated as the ability to experience safety, freedom to leave abusive relationships, and opportunities to redefine themselves as women and mothers,
3) Loss the women experienced post-immigration included: loss of family and cultural supports, economic instability, and unfamiliar expectations of self-reliance and independence.
4) As they resettled in Canada, the women grappled with perceptions of what constitutes the good woman, or girlhood/womanhood in general, in their countries of origin compared to Canada. This included gender roles, positioning within society, and sense of (in)equality to men.
5) The women shifted from cultural stigma against single mothers in their countries of origin, to a perceived power shift in Canada where the child and societal institutions have greater say than the mothers.
Key populations: single, immigrant mothers ages 18 or older who have been in Canada for less than 5 years
Key recommendations:
1) Develop continuing research and counselling services that apply an intersectional lens to understanding vulnerable populations with multiple marginalized identities, such as single immigrant mothers.
2) Reinforce the importance of multicultural counselling, including counsellor self awareness, cultural curiosity and cultural responsivity.
3) Address the power differentials between single, immigrant mothers and the institutions from where they seek support and services, which often stem from imposing professional knowledge instead of creating space to invite and prioritize client-centered knowing.
Open access: Yes