Daughters of Traditions

Many Asian girls, especially those whose parents emigrated form rural areas of the Indian subcontinent, are finding it difficult to reconcile the values and traditions of their home with the differing ones that of the wider western societies.  A quotation from a group interview with Sikh girls (carried out by the author in April 1998 near Coffs Harbour, Australia) highlights some of these conflicts:

            We want to able to have more freedom; we want to able to go out together, to do things. We want to be trusted more…we want our lifestyles, but we don’t want bad reputation and we don’t want to shame our mothers and fathers…it’s  just too much pressure; it’s hard because you can’t be you…Also at school       teachers should be aware of different languages and cultures and what we do at home and how do we feel about things.

Young Asian girls have raised issues of autonomy dating, dress codes, favouritism of boys over girls, and racial prejudice and negative stereotyping by some teachers ( see my book:  Double Loyalties: University of Wales Press). Many Asian parents feel strongly that their daughters carry the izzat (honour) and traditions of the family and that they need protection and ‘extra care’ in their schooling and socialisation. This places an extra psychological pressure on Asian girls.

As regards their schooling, Tehmina Basit in her book Eastern Values; Western Milieu vividly describes the predicament of a group of Muslim girls in a London school and concludes her findings in a disturbing note:

            The teachers’ comments seem innocuous on the surface…Muslim ethos is misunderstood to the extent that respectfulness is seen as shyness or submissiveness, protectiveness is viewed as oppression and modesty is construed as traditionalism. Patriarchy is perceived in negative terms…

Another academic, Basit, argues that in education: ‘The teachers’ job is to impart knowledge, not to anglicize the girls’. My own experience of interviewing Asian parents in Australia, England, California and New South Wales confirms this conclusion. However, school teachers in the West view such an aim of education as too narrow and instrumental.  Thus there tends to be still some misunderstanding on the function and role of education between Asian parents and their children’s teachers.

There is another sensitive issue of concern to many Muslim and to some Sikh parents, namely of mixed classes in general and the taking of ‘communal’ showers in physical education, in particular. Thus there is a discontinuity (and even mismatch) of values, customs, and practices between home and school in many social and cultural domains. These place psychological strains on Asian children and young people, especially girls, over and above those experienced by their white counterparts. This can lead to worry, tension and anxiety.

Most Asian girls learn to cope reasonably successfully with the demands of ‘two cultures’, but a few suffer from psychosomatic illnesses resulting in eating disorders (bulimia, anorexia, and binge eating), severe anxiety, and depression. Indeed some Asian girls even suffer from psychiatric illness, as noted by several academics and health-care professionals. According to a social worker, cultural beliefs (Izzat - honour, sharm- shame) act as double edged swords in that they ‘persistently legitimise gender violence and oppression and further silence women from being able to discuss issues, as it might bringing further shame and dishonour to the family’.

To ease the predicament of Asian girls, it is suggested that social and health education (PSHE) in England and Wales (and indeed in the rest of UK) should include a generic approach to gender issues, mental health and self-harm. Also, appointment of home-school link teachers/workers with relevant background and cultural experience should be of great value in bringing better understanding between home and school. I am only too well aware of the danger of stereotyping Asian girls and women as ‘victims’, but feel that it is only ‘just’ to seek help and support where it is badly needed. Research in Newham, East London, has revealed disturbing cases of  self-harm.

Paul A. S. Ghuman, University of Wales, Aberystwyth  (asg@aber.ac.uk). Recent publication on the topic: Double Loyalties: University of Wales Press, Cardiff, 2004