Culture and motherhood: findings from a qualitative study of East Asian mothers in Britain

Abstract

This article focuses on the possible impacts of Confucianism on the experiences of middle-class East Asian women with dependent children in Britain. By using the concept of 'intersectionality', it aims to understand the ways in which mothering identity intersects with class and East Asian cultural identity in the British context, and how identities emerge through this interaction. The study was based on in-depth interview data collected from 20 first-generation East Asian mothers living in Britain, and suggests that East Asian mothers in this study appear to share a discernible trace of Confucianism, including a strong emphasis on education, alongside a high value placed on seniority, and children as a mother's possession. These Confucian values were portrayed by the interviewees as salient in constructing their mothering identities. Simultaneously, however, certain aspects of British culture were also perceived to be significant in their mothering, in that they appeared to provide the interviewees with opportunities to question and modify their cultural values.

Between transnationalism and assimilation: Polish parents’ upbringing approaches in Belfast, Northern Ireland

“…Seen from this angle, upbringing strategies are situational and contextually moulded. In a similar way, Lim and Skinner (2012)in their work on East Asian mothering in Britain, observe that middle class women raise their children negotiating between Confucian values and certain aspects of British culture. Contact with British culture results in mothers putting into question and modifying their cultural values.…”

Contextualising intersectionality: A qualitative study of East Asian female migrant workers in the UK

“…The majority of Japanese female migrants in these new waves of migration were trailing wives, following their expatriate or student husbands during a period of great economic growth in Japan (Izuhara and Shibata, 2001). Like their Japanese counterparts, Korean female migrants initially consisted predominantly of wives to expatriate and student husbands (Lim and Skinner, 2012). In more recent years, however, growing numbers of independent Japanese and Korean female migrants have come to the UK to gain international work and study experience (Kim, 2008;White, 2005).…”

Chinese ‘Study Mothers’ in Living Apart Together (LAT) Relationships: Educational Migration, Family Practices, and Gender Roles

“…Family practices are culturally specific and contextually dependent, where the way of doing family is subject to social and cultural constructions of gender around the roles of mothers and fathers. In Confucian culture, individuals are expected to fulfil their duties as parents or children and, for instance, women were considered to be responsible for children’s educational attainment and future development (Inoguchi and Shin, 2009; Lim and Skinner, 2012). Accordingly, as a child, being filial to his or her parents is perceived as the basic familial obligation to fulfil, and particularly in the Chinese context, studying hard has been considered as one of the most important way of ‘repaying’ parents’ sacrifices.…”