Becoming an ‘Amai’: Meanings and experiences of motherhood amongst Zimbabwean women living in Melbourne, Australia
Section snippets
Background
Motherhood is a significant life transition that holds special meanings to individual women and their families (Hoang and Kilpatrick, 2009, Murray et al., 2010, Ngum Chi Watts et al., 2015). According to Goodwin and Huppatz, (2010), motherhood not only shapes the woman's life and identity, but it also disrupts their sense of self. Motherhood involves physical and emotional experiences that result in a sense of responsibility for the baby (Miller, 2005, Liamputtong, 2006). Becoming a mother is a
Moral career and motherhood: theoretical framework
In this paper, we situate our discussion on the moral career of motherhood theory (Murphy, 1999, Liamputtong, 2006). The moral career of motherhood refers to the expectations of mothers as the “keepers of morality” when women carry out their mothering practices (Liamputtong, 2006, p. 25). The ideologies of good motherhood include staying at home and devotion to childrearing (Miller, 2005). For some women, it can be difficult to match the idealised image of a ‘good mother’ (McMahon, 1995,
Methodology
This paper is based on our qualitative research conducted with Zimbabwean women in Melbourne, Australia. A qualitative approach was essential in order to have an in-depth understanding of the lived experiences of Zimbabwean migrant mothers. Qualitative research allows us to have better understanding about the meanings and interpretations of peoples’ experiences (Bourgeault et al., 2010, Liamputtong, 2013, Creswell, 2014).
In this study, in-depth interviewing method was used in combination with
Findings
There are several concerns emerged from the data including: Becoming an ‘amai’; Mothering roles: constant teaching and nurturing; Motherhood: rewards and challenges, and Experience with health and social care. These are discussed in the sections below. In presenting the verbatim quotations of the women, we adopted a pseudonym to protect their true identity.
Becoming an ‘Amai’
The common Zimbabwean term the women used to refer to motherhood was “amai” which is culturally used to describe a woman or a mother who has various roles. To the women in this study, a woman was not a mother until she had a baby. Therefore, motherhood was defined by the actual birth of a baby. Motherhood was also seen as a life journey. Once a woman had a baby her life changed. Netsai, a mother of three, defined motherhood as a role that brought people together in a family, and a mother was
Mothering roles: constant teaching and nurturing
Many women in this study related mothering roles to their Zimbabwean cultural upbringing, whereby their own mothers taught them important rules of life in order to become a responsible citizen. Mothers must teach the children how to behave in a society and to work hard to succeed. This was commonly mentioned by most participants.
Motherhood means making sure that I teach my kids how to behave in the society. Making sure that I teach my kids to socialise well with everyone in the community. I
Motherhood: rewards and challenges
Motherhood had a positive and negative impact on the women. Loyce, a mother of three, used a metaphor of ‘a ride’ to illustrate this; sometimes it was ‘a beautiful ride’ and other times it would be ‘a wild ride’. Many women believed that motherhood was actually the most rewarding experience that made a woman feel ‘complete’.
… I’m a complete woman … So my role as a mother here is quite satisfying and my children have grown up now. Even when they were younger I did everything and I enjoyed it
Experience with health and social care
Most women experienced challenges when accessing the Australian health and social care systems. Unfamiliarity with the health and social care systems presented many challenges for these women. Often they described being treated without respect and being discriminated against. Some also reported being labelled and receiving racially stereotypical comments when attending the healthcare system. In this context, some mothers, felt overwhelmed about becoming a mother in their new homeland.
I think
Discussion
As other migrant mothers (Liamputtong and Naksook, 2003, Liamputtong, 2006, Tsai et al., 2011, Gyesaw and Ankomah, 2013, Ngum Chi Watts et al., 2015), Zimbabwean women defined motherhood in varied ways. Common to all women, however, becoming a mother had a significant meaning to the women (Liamputtong, 2006, Tsai et al., 2011, Ngum Chi Watts et al., 2015). For the participants in this study, becoming a mother surpasses the physical act of giving birth but includes the achievement of the
Implications for midwifery and healthcare
The findings from this study contribute to conceptual understanding about motherhood among Zimbabwean migrant mothers. Motherhood impacted on the women differently. Although women are culturally expected to become a mother, their mothering role can become problematic based on certain factors such as migration. Our findings provide a basis for further investigation into the formation and strengthening of support networks for Zimbabwean migrant mothers in particular and to other migrant women in
Funding source
This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
Acknowledgement
We are grateful to the Zimbabwean women who took part in this research.
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