‘It’s good enough that our children are accepted’: Roma mothers’ views of children’s education post migration

Abstract

The discrimination of Roma groups across Europe has been highlighted by several international organisations. For many, poverty, racism and their children's systematic exclusion from education are 'push' factors when deciding to migrate. This study explores Roma mothers' views of their children's education post-migration and attitudes to education more broadly, by adopting an intersectional framework and examining issues of difference and belonging as experienced by Roma mothers and their children. While Roma mothers recognised the value of education for social mobility, they remained aware of the limited resources they could draw upon, in the absence of desirable economic and cultural capital, and as a result of their ethnicity, social class, gender and 'undesirable migrant' status. There was a perceived hopelessness in relation to the chances that Roma children have to overcome their marginalisation through schooling, pointing to the need for dedicated policy interventions when working with Roma families.

Educational Disadvantages During COVID-19 Pandemic Faced by Migrant Schoolchildren in Poland

“…Distance learning stresses the relationship between children’s cultural (Bourdieu, 1986 ) and digital capital (Ragnedda, 2018 ). Although typical shortages of migrant parents’ capital can normally be offset by capital conversions and the intervention of schools and institutions (Erel, 2012 ; Sime et al, 2017 ), this becomes impossible during lockdown, which greatly reduces direct support. Of the former multiple agents of the educational process—namely, children, parents, kin members, teachers, and other educational professionals—only the first two remain (see Lai and Widmar, 2021 ).…”

“…Although the reasons behind this were correlated with lower economic status (Brewer and Haslum, 1986 ; Janta and Harte, 2016 ; Klasen, 1998 ), this disadvantage alone cannot account for educational gaps. Childhoods on the move are associated with vulnerability and disadvantaged positions in both social and educational contexts (Devine, 2009 ; Ensor and Goździak, 2016 ) wherein academic disadvantages result from emotional and psychological strains, insufficient cultural and language knowledge, and possible discrimination related to the migration process (Grzymała-Moszczyńska et al, 2015 ; Sime et al, 2017 ). These are particularly profound when migration is associated with “negative motivations and connotations” (Sluzki, 1979 , p. 381), such as escaping political instability or persecution, wars, or other life-threatening contexts (Ensor & Goździak, 2016 ).…”

Education and “Categorical Inequalities’’: Manifestation of Segregation in Six Country Contexts in Europe

“…School segregation is a complex phenomenon where several factors interplay. Consequently, education becomes a contested terrain with its mechanisms of categorisation and segregation for disadvantaged groups, like Roma, who no longer believe that education overcomes their marginalisation in society (Sime et al, 2018). The literature reveals that in the last decades, marketisation has also reinforced the inequalities in accessing quality education as the widening gap between schools with and without resources affects the inequalities in the education outcomes among students from diverse socio-economic backgrounds (OECD, 2013(OECD, , 2018Power & Frandji, 2010).…”

Principals’ views on policies and practices for the educational inclusion of Roma people

“…Taking into account the central role of mother's education in students' school career, some research focuses on the potential of Roma women involvement in their children education. This is a case of particular interest, as Roma women are considered to be at the crossroads of various systemic inequalities, with direct consequences for their lives (Sime, Fassetta & McClung, 2017). Women are often seen as oppressed by their own patriarchal communities, being discouraged from engaging in education or employment in order to focus on early marriage and motherhood.…”

“…Women are often seen as oppressed by their own patriarchal communities, being discouraged from engaging in education or employment in order to focus on early marriage and motherhood. Consequently, Roma women perspective is also trapped into a closed, mainly kinship based system of relationships, with few opportunities for networking outside their community, even more when they face additionally language barriers (Sime, Fassetta & McClung, 2017). Thus, an important condition for achieving Roma women active involvement in education is their empowerment in order to become agents of transformation.…”