Half the world away : a qualitative study exploring migration and motherhood in New Zealand : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at Massey University
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Date
2012
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Massey University
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Abstract
Migration is a global phenomenon. An estimated 214 million people worldwide have
migrated from their countries of origin; 49% of whom are women. Previous research
suggests that the juxtaposition of migration and motherhood has a considerable
impact on the identity of women, and is associated with social isolation, economic
strain and mental health concerns. In New Zealand, 23% of the population of women
were born outside the country; despite this, there is limited local research into the
impact of migration and motherhood. Half the World Away is a contribution to this
gap in psychological research; the project explores the lived experience of migrant
mothers in New Zealand. Feminist methodologies guide this research. Stories of
migration and motherhood are explored using narrative analysis against the
backdrop of La Mestiza metaphor. Half the World Away rejects previous assertions
that migrant women become marginal women due to our inability to reconcile
psychological conflict caused by migration. It explores how cultural discourses and
master narratives split us into (n)either/(n)or and how women negotiate migration
and motherhood by adopting pluralistic identities that transcend the conflicting
realities of living between two cultures. Half the World Away offers a holistic analysis
of experience and challenges dichotomous, linear models of the same by exploring
the fluidity of migrant identity against socio-cultural and political spaces. This
research offers new knowledge regarding identity, social and economic features of
the lived experience of migrant women and mothers in New Zealand, thereby
providing a new cultural resource to inform and guide psychological practice.
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Keywords
Women immigrants, Motherhood, New Zealand