Mothering in transition: The experiences of Sudanese refugee women raising teenagers in Australia

Abstract

Of the approximately 13,750 humanitarian refugees who have fled from war and other human rights abuses to resettle in Australia every year, the majority are families arriving with adolescent children. This study used a qualitative methodology to explore Sudanese refugee womens’ narratives around parenting teenagers in the resettlement environment. The data from 17 in-depth interviews was analysed using thematic analysis. Four main themes captured the womens’ main concerns: the transition from parenting in an interdependent society as part of a network of family and community relations to parenting alone in the resettlement context; mothers’ fears and experiences of losing their children, both literally and symbolically; loss of parental authority; and finally, the ways in which mothers adapted to the post-migration setting and found new ways of parenting.