Arts & Social Sciences
Te Kura Kete Aronui

Abstract

Jenkinson, Beth Ellen. Somali women's voices: Being a Somali woman in New Zealand.

This study explored Somali women's experiences of growing up in Somalia and the challenges

That arose for them when they came to New Zealand. In addition, it explored the ways in which the women's culture is maintained, preserved, and modified in New Zealand and how they have overcome or minimised the challenges they have faced. The little research with female Somali refugees that has been conducted in New Zealand has generally focused on the assessment of specific health care services and the refugee resettlement programme. However, my research focused on Somali women as a whole in their cultural context, rather than focusing on one aspect of their lives.

This research was conducted in two phases. The first phase involved conducting a preliminary study where five key informants who have worked with Somali communities were interviewed. The findings of the preliminary study were used to reorient the study, determine appropriate ways of accessing the community, and ensure that this research was conducted in an appropriate manner. The second phase involved in-depth qualitative interviews with six Somali women, which traced the transition from Somalia to New Zealand.

The major difficulties the women experienced were accessing English classes and gaining employment. Their main concerns about bringing their children up in New Zealand were the weakening of cultural values such as collectivity, and the worry that their children would adopt values of New Zealand culture that conflict with their own culture. However, the women also outlined a number of initiatives in the Somali community that demonstrate the way that these Somali women actively reconstruct, modify, and regenerate their culture in New Zealand. This research also demonstrates the value of recognising the complexity and uniqueness of each woman's experience, rather than grouping all Somali women into an homogenous group.

The research recognises the importance of acknowledging the essential role that women have as cultural transmitters. However, this research has shown that women are more than just sites through which culture is transmitted, they are in fact active and selective modifiers of their culture. This finding opposes the general construction of refugees as passive victims.