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PERCEPTIONS AND EXPERIENCES OF SUDANESE REFUGEE AND RUSSIAN

IMMIGRANT MEN AS FATHERS IN THE CANADIAN CONTEXT

Father Involvement Conference 2008:Diversity.Visibility.Community

Toronto, OntarioOctober 2008

David Este, Ph.D.

Admasu Tachble, Ph.D. (C)University of Calgary

This study was funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council

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OBJECTIVES

Participants will leave with an increased understanding

of the perceptions and experiences of Sudanese refugee

and Russian immigrant men as fathers.

This will involve sharing with the audience: Brief contextual information Study’s methodology and methods Salient results Implications for social work:

Education Practice Programs and services

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FATHERHOOD AND IMMIGRATION

The importance of the family in immigration is vital

Major motivation for parents is to provide a better life for their children

Families provide security / emotional reliance Limited exploration on the impact of

immigration on fathers

Roer-Strier, et al., 2005

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SUDANESE COMMUNITY IN CANADA AND CALGARY

In Calgary, there are approximately 7,500 Sudanese

Two major waves of Sudanese migration in the past six years (2000 and 2002)

Majority of government-assisted refugees (GARs)

Kuol & Este, 2005

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1990s – PRESENT: “PROFESSIONAL WAVE”

Most of the incoming Russian immigrants are highly

qualified specialists who were successful in Russia and

are looking for a job in Canada to apply their skills and

knowledge.

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METHODOLOGY

Recruitment Three human service agencies Personal contacts

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METHODOLOGY

Sample 20 Sudanese men 14 Russian men All participants resided in Canada a minimum

of 8 months

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METHODOLOGY

Utilization of the pragmatic qualitative method as described by Patton (2002)

Use of strategies to collect and analyze data collected in the field

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DATA COLLECTION METHODS

Semi-structured interviews focused on: Meaning of fatherhood Values influencing practice of being a father Interaction with children Decision making in family Challenges being a father in the Canadian

context

Este & Tachable, 2006

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METHODOLOGY

Data Analysis Thematic analysis was conducted to determine

salient themes

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MEANING OF BEING A FATHER

Responsibilities – Provider Teacher

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MEANING OF BEING A FATHER: RESPONSIBILITIES – PROVIDER

Being a father means a lot of responsibilities to all the

family and towards my wife and my children. You have

To look after them, buy what they need, and take care

of them.

Sudanese Male

If you want to feel like a father, you want to bring some

income to the family . . .

Russian Male

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MEANING OF BEING A FATHER:TEACHER

Being a father means being the head of the family . . . it means one has to be very responsible to his wife, to his children . . . he must teach the children about community work and respect.

Sudanese Father

Role modeling is the most important thing because the

child would just take on the behaviour from someone else.

Russian Father

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PROVIDING AS A FORM OF PATERNAL INVOLVEMENT

Some literature (Stearn, 1991; Christiansen & Palkovitz, 2001) contends that providing is indeed a strong and legitimate form of paternal involvement

Perspective recognizes that providing from an economic perspective enables fathers to contribute to the well-being of their families

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SOCIAL CAPITAL

Pleck (2007), who has written extensively on fathers, states that the concept of social capital useful theoretical approach in understanding father involvement.

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FINANCIAL AND SOCIAL CAPITAL

Two types of capital that contribute to child development: Financial Capital Social Capital: parenting behaviour that

promotes the child’s cognitive-social development, school readiness, and educational aspirations – parents’ socialization of their children (p. 198)

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GUIDING VALUES

Sudanese Fathers Respect Children acquiring a good education Giving back to one’s community

Russian Fathers Positive family relationship Importance of getting a university education

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LEARNING TO BE A FATHER

Males in the family The family

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LEARNING TO BE FATHERMALES IN THE FAMILY

I learned through my father, through my uncle, the

elder uncle . . . The way they brought me up is the way

I like to bring my children up.

Sudanese Father

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LEARNING TO BE A FATHER:FAMILY INFLUENCE

I learned from being a son of a very responsible family . . . when I grew up I pursued my education with the values of trying to keep the good name of the family.

Sudanese Father

My father and my uncle both were good examples in

my life. They gave me schooling.

Russian Father

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EXPECTATIONS FOR CHILDREN

Better Future . . . I am expecting a better future for my

kids, and I do not want them to experience the life I am experiencing right now.

Sudanese Father

Success in Life I think that it is extremely important that he

finds himself and does something with his life . . . that would be a career, family

Russian Father

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INTERACTION WITH CHILDREN

Spending time with their children – important for both groups of fathers

Array of activities (walking, television watching [Sudanese], swimming, going to the park, sports [Russian])

Time spent with children was contingent upon number and types of jobs held

Hours of employment

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ROLE CHANGES

Domestic tasks Greater parenting role

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ROLE CHANGES

Domestic Tasks - Sudanese We share the kitchen. I do not wait for her

when I come home from work. I do not wait for her to prepare food. I can do it, prepare it myself, but in the Sudan, that does not happen. A man does not go in the kitchen.

Sudanese Father

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ROLE CHANGES

Greater Parenting Role In the Sudan, I was not concentrating a lot

[in the raising of my children] because I know that 50% of bringing up the children in the family is done by neighbours and other people . . . When I came here, I became more involved in bringing up my children in the way that I want . . . So I became more responsible and more involved in their activities in bringing up my children.

Sudanese Father

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CHALLENGES

Underemployment Encountering racism and discrimination Discipline of children Lack of social support Social isolation

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UNDEREMPLOYMENT/RACISM – SUDANESE

We cannot get steady jobs that pay well. Many of us

Are working in meat plants that are oppressive and take

advantage of us. At these work places, we are subject

to name calling by white workers.

Sudanese Father

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UNDEREMPLOYMENT

My education. I am an electrical engineer but in Canada

I work only using my hands, nothing using my head

and I cannot work with my head . . . My education is a

university degree, a Bachelor’s Degree, and I want to

work in my profession.

Russian Father

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UNDEREMPLOYMENT

Lack of Financial Security

As long as you are underpaid, you do not feel good and

all the things that you need for your children do not get

so you are really under pressure and one can get distressed. Sudanese Father

In Canada, it is not that easy to make money, making money is not easy.Russian Father

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CHALLENGE

Discipline of Children – Adapting to Canadian System

It is difficult to be a father in Canada because all the children are controlled by the government. The parents do not have the right to tell their children what they really need.- Sudanese Father

Within communist Russian society, children need to be respectful to anybody who is older than you. But that is not the case here. - Russian Father

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LACK OF SOCIAL SUPPORTFROM FAMILY MEMBERS

. . . there is nobody here (family) to help us . . . I do not have my parents . . . We take care of everything ourselves.

Russian Father

. . . the house (in Sudan) is with a lot of our relatives who come from the countryside so the children are taken care of by a relative.

Sudanese Father

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DECISION MAKING RELATED TO CHILDREN

RussianThree patterns were shared by the men: Parents – joint decision making Children involvement Wife primary decision make supported by

partner Sudanese

Joint process involving partners

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IMPLICATIONS FOR SOCIAL WORKEDUCATION IN CANADA

Content about fathers and father involvement is virtually nonexistent in the majority of social work programs in Canada; even more sparse in relation to immigrant and refugee fathers

Some attention is given in MSW program at McGill

Need for our programs to begin to include this specific content

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IMPLICATIONS FOR SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE

Fathers’ voices need to be heard in planning and implementing: Non-paternalistic, participative

interventions, culturally tailored to the unique needs, perceptions and cultural differences of different immigrant groups.

Assessment processes need to examine the needs of immigrant / refugee men as fathers

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DELIVERY OF PROGRAMS / SERVICES

A challenge to social work agencies is how to recruit and engage immigrant / refugee fathers

Should there be specific programs for this subpopulation?

ORShould more inclusive programs be developed to involve immigrant / refugee families?

ORIs there a combination of these service delivery approaches required?