|
 Family and Community
|
Overview of issues
|
Resources relating to Family and Community
|
Contribute to this section
|
|
|
Overview of issues
|
The dynamics within CLD families and communities is often very complex. For CLD and refugee young people, juggling family and community expectations with individual goals and aspirations and peer pressures can be challenging.
Some particular issues relating to migrant and refugee families and communities in Australia include:
|
Diverse family roles and relationships
|
Among migrant and refugee communities there are numerous cultural constructions of the family that may include biological or non-biological members. The roles (such as nurturer, protector) and obligations of each family member may be quite different from those expected in a nuclear family. Families also vary considerably within communities, and assumptions about family make-up cannot be made based on stereotypes.
Many families who migrate to Australia find their roles also change significantly. Many families have been totally restructured, with family members missing, separated or unable to migrate due to death or remarriage. Some families may be living together for the first time. Siblings and extended family members may have taken on a guardianship role where parents have died or are living overseas, often without much support or recognition.
|
Issues for newly arrived families
|
The loss of status that many families experience on migration often leads to a deep sense of loss. Some families experience a complete class shift on arrival. Professionals with overseas qualifications may face unemployment due to a lack of Australian work experience and discrimination.
Financial pressures are often severe, as unemployment is high among newly arrived communities and families may be paying off overseas debts or sending money to relatives overseas. Refugees usually arrive with no possessions or financial assets and have to start their lives again. Where family members are working long hours or doing shift work, the impact on family cohesion can be negative.
Many large families find it difficult to find affordable or appropriately sized housing and may be forced to live in overcrowded conditions. Public housing and low cost private rental is often unsuitable, as there are very few four or six bedroom properties available for larger families.
Limited access to childcare is another issue faced by newly arrived families, impacting on the involvement of parents in schools and youth activities, and frequently requiring young people to care for their siblings.
|
Young people and family conflict
|
Migrant and refugee families face a complex and alien environment. Young people often take on a role as advocate for the family and are often called on to provide assistance with settlement needs and interpreting. This can lead to a power shift, with parents losing dignity and status and children taking on a greater burden of responsibility. This power imbalance has significant long-term consequences for family dynamics and can lead to family conflict.
CLD young people are often juggling the strong expectations by family members of both success within dominant Australian culture and the maintenance of their cultural values and first language. Intergenerational conflict can arise around financial issues, independence, activities outside the home and sexual relationships. Although they are under-represented in accessing homelessness services, refugee young people have been found to be six times more likely to become homeless than their Australian-born peers.
Compounding all of these issues is a lack of information in community languages about Australian laws and culturally appropriate support for CLD parents of teenagers.
|
Families’ fears about young people
|
Parental insecurity about the 'Westernisation' of their children can be strong. There is often little recognition within broader Australian culture of the significance of cultural maintenance to the wellbeing and happiness of CLD families. At home, emphasis on cultural aspects can sometimes become exaggerated in an attempt to preserve cultural practices.
Children’s safety is another issue for CLD families. Many families feel less physically safe than they did overseas. Anxiety levels can be extremely high for refugee families who have come through very traumatic periods in which children may have been lost, injured, or endangered. This can affect parents’ willingness to allow their children to be involved in extra-curricular activities.
Families can also be fearful that mainstream youth services are culturally inappropriate and may work to encourage young people to leave home.
|
Families’ expectations regarding school involvement
|
Parents from diverse backgrounds have a range of expectations about the relationship between home and school. Some expect a strict separation of school and home in their country of origin. Many parents do not understand the educational benefit of being involved in school life and have not been given information and culturally appropriate support to do so. Many are frustrated because they are not able to help their children as much as they would like to with their education or are confused about the Australian education system.
|
Resources relating to Family and Community
|
 | Families and cultural diversity in Australia (edited by Robyn Hartley, 1995)
| This book surveys the characteristics of family life of key groups in Australia: Aborigines, Anglo-Celtic, Chinese, Filipino, Greek, Italian, Latin American, Lebanese and Vietnamese. It looks at the differences between recent and older immigrant groups, the choices families are making in response to changing social and economic environments and how this affects relationships between husbands and wives, parents and children, older people and their adult children.
| Copies available from: Australian Institute of Family Studies. Cost: $27.95
|
|
|
|
|
