The acculturation process and well-being of Filipino migrant mothers: A study done in Sydney using indigenous Filipino methods

• Main Author: Perfecto-Ramos, Pia Anna
• Format: text
• Published: Animo Repository 2009
• Subjects: Acculturation; Well-being; Gender and Sexuality; Psychology; Social and Behavioral Sciences
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/faculty_research/13701
• Institution: De La Salle University

This qualitative study made use of the indigenous methods of pakikipagkuwentuhan (or story-telling), pagtatanung-tanong (asking questions) and nakikiugaling pagmamasid (participant observations) in gathering data regarding the changes that a migrant undergoes as a result of contact of varying individuals and of moving from one society to another (acculturation). Data regarding how migration affected their sense of well-being was likewise collected. The interview with thirty Filipino mothers, who moved to Sydney, Australia, with their husbands and their children revealed that the acculturation process of trigger-challenge-recovery-and-stability that the mothers continue to undergo was not only cyclical, it was also systemic. The process also mirrored the experiences of their husbands and the entire family unit. Their sense of well-being was enhanced due to the (a) improvement of quality of life; (b) the absence of the machismo image in their husbands and; (c) opportunities afforded by the new society to their children.