Brides and grandmothers: challenges for older Filipinos in Australia

Migration of women from Eastern or less developed countries such as the Philippines to the economically booming Western countries such as Australia for marriage or family reunion is a phenomenon that continues into the 21st century. This thesis examined the effects of migration of three groups of Filipino women (intermarried brides, intramarried spouses, and grandmothers) who migrated to Australia from the 1980s. One group, intermarried Filipino brides, settled in regional and remote areas of Australia, did not have children, and were primary caregivers of much older husbands, while another group, grandmothers, migrated in old age to look after their grandchildren in Australia to enable adult parents to participate in the workforce. The third group, spouses married to Fillipinos, achieved university education and left their professional jobs in the Philippines to join their husbands in Australia. Thus, utilising Wong’s (1993) resource-congruence model of adaptation, this study explored the psychosocial challenges confronting these three groups of Filipino women. Specifically, the study investigated the relationship between migration variables, coping strategies, acculturation, social support, and mental health of these women who were aged between 40 to 89 years and were recruited from metropolitan and rural regions across five Australian states (Victoria, South Australia, New South Wales, Queensland, and Tasmania). Using cross-sectional design, a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches to data collection was utilized. The research was undertaken across two stages. First, Stage 1 comprised focus groups with both community leaders (CLs) and a group of Filipino women (FW) in Victoria to identify the stress, coping, psychosocial resources, acculturation, perceptions of kinship and family, cultural values and beliefs, and service utilisation of female Filipino migrants in Victoria. Second, using the themes identified from Stage 1, Stage 2 further explored the acculturation experiences, caregiving roles, psychological resources, social resources, coping strategies, mental health, and use of community health services by the Filipino women migrants in both urban and regional areas across Australia. In addition, follow-up interviews with eight intermarried Filipino women were conducted to examine the nature of their intercultural marriages in more detail.