Parenting in Immigration: Experiences of Mothers and Fathers from South

Asia Raising Children in The Denmark

ABSTRACT
Denmark has seen a steady increase in immigration over the past 30 years, with the majority
of new immigrants originating from non-western countries. Immigrant family members live in two
cultures: the ethnic-heritage culture and the new culture of the host society. While selectively
adopting new values and strategies, these parents retaining some attitudes and practices from their
original cultures in order to keep their children grounded in reality. The study will be conducted
in Denmark. The research will be about to identify the “Parenting in Immigration: Experiences of
Mothers and Fathers from South Asia Raising Children in The Denmark”. The objectives of the
study included to; To find out the challenges and difficulties faced by the immigrants’ parents in raising
and educating their children in the Denmark and to explore how immigrants’ parents in Denmark
balance and integrate two diverse cultures. Parents (mothers and fathers) of children will be
participants of this research process. For base line survey, immigrants will be identified through
key informants from local representatives of the Ministry of Immigrant Absorption in Denmark
and other persons in personal contacts. They will provide the information about immigrant parents
of children who have immigrated from the Asian countries during the last five years. Targeted
category will be invited to participate in researcher process. Based upon their consent a suitable
number of sample will be targeted for further process. Purposive sampling will be the sampling
strategy. Research instruments will be designed to collect the data. Relevant items will be added
to the instruments which will be according to the objectives of the study. Questionnaires,
interviews and a focus group discussion will be the tools of the study to collect the data from Asian
immigrant parents. All interviews will be recorded and later transcribed. Field notes will be written
during the interviews and later incorporated into the data. Pilot study assures the validity and
reliability of the instrument used in a study for data collection. The questionnaires will be
administered personally by the researcher to the respondent of the study (parents) for the data
collection. In addition, different types of methods will be used at different levels of data collection.
The significant statistical method will be used according to the study. Collected data will be
analyzed, tabulated and results will be reported accordingly. The main focus of this study will be
on the experience of participants and the various challenges, whether associated with them as
individuals or in their role as a mother and father during their transition to a new society.
Keywords: Immigration; Parenting experiences; Difficulties and challanges
INTRODUCTION
The forces of globalization have increased the migration of people to Western societies
over the past decades, leading to social, cultural, economic and political changes (Skivenes &
Strandbu, 2006).
Thoughts of change based on a move from one’s original culture to a new culture, or on
the balance between culture interaction and maintenance with new culture are hereby challenged.
Instead the confrontation between the cultures leads to tension that can create energy that has the
potential to create new practices. Instead of turning to the original culture or accepting the new
one completely, both are considered and new practices might emerge that are qualitatively
different from ones that existed before. (Haan, 2011).
 Change in Social Position Migration involves moving from one’s usual atmosphere to
another, and this, in turn, means leaving what is familiar and getting used to an environment that
is different in many ways. Migration is connected with a range of challenges, such as a change in
class status or social position, the loss of the support networks in form of extended family, and
other social networks. (Bacallao & Smokowski, 2007; Este & Tachble, 2009; Foner & Dreby,
2011; Maiter & George, 2003; Perreira, et al., 2006; Renzaho, McCabe, & Sainsbury, 2011).
For some immigrant groups, migration alone is the parenting decision. Parents decide to
migrate because they have hopes and values for the future of their children feel that they cannot
be fulfilled in their countries of origin, due to social factors such as poverty and war (Perreira,
Chapman, & Stein, 2006). Parents are expected to assist their children with pursuing their interests
and activities. (Hennum, 2002; Hollekim, et al., 2016; Johannesen & Appoh, 2016). Parents should
make sure that their childhood is carefree and happy (Skivenes & Strandbu, 2006).
Immigrant families with children often face not only the usual complexities of this
developmental stage but additional challenges arising from immigration. Immigrant family
members live in two cultures: the ethnic-heritage culture and the new culture of the host society.
Since these cultures may not endorse identical values and may not allow children to pursue the
same behavioral patterns, immigrant families may experience substantial intergenerational
differences and high levels of intergenerational disagreement and conflict (Kwak, 2003).
Understanding the experiences of parents is crucial to understanding the experiences of their
children, especially in immigrant families where so much of the adjustment and functioning of
children is involved with their parents’ adjustment (Crosnoe & Filigni, 2012).
The culture of the majority with a different religion and traditions leads to critical thinking
about the individual's values, beliefs, traditions, and parenting practices. Pressures of work and
learning to live in a new culture may lead to a lack of emotional and physical availability to their
children. This research will serve to provide a space for the voices and perspectives of minority
parents and deepened the understanding of the experiences and perspectives of immigrant parents
in Denmark. This study will be highly beneficial for the parents and children.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The study aims to investigate “Parenting in Immigration: Experiences of Mothers and Fathers
from South Asia Raising Children in The Denmark”.
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
Objectives of the study will be as follows:
a) To find out the challenges and difficulties faced by the immigrants’ parents in raising and
educating their children in the Denmark
b) To explore how immigrants’ parents in Denmark balance and integrate two diverse
cultures.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study supports already existing knowledge on immigrant families’ adaptation with regard
to such issues as cultural differences in parenting practices, loss of parental authority. Its unique
contribution will lie in recognizing the significance of parental responsibility as a crucial factor in
immigrant parents’ adaptation, refining its key elements and culture-specific characteristics, and
documenting the challenges faced by parents while struggling to fulfil their responsibility in
cultural transition. Moving to another country and setting up one’s life in a new environment can
be challenging and stressful. Parents in new environment felt that helpless and don’t know how to
deal with the parental challenges they faced. A significant advantage of this study is its
phenomenological nature that allows for in-depth and empathic understanding of immigrant
parents’ reality and how parents balance and integrate two cultures. Cultural values such as respect
for elders, humility, discipline, and a sense of belonging to their own culture is important to the Asian
parents raising their children in Denmark. Immigration challenges the parents’ abilities to fulfil their
responsibilities as parents.
REVIEW OF LITERATUR
Loss of Parental Authority Renzaho, McCabe, & Sainsbury (2011) interviewed Arabic speaking
immigrants in focus groups to learn about cultural values, behaviors, and practices concerning family
dynamics and how the participants negotiated these in their new environment. The main findings were that
the parents experienced a loss of authority over their children due to Australian legislation that limits the
way parents can discipline their children. This loss of authority led to a loss in confidence in their parenting
abilities (Renzaho, et al., 2011). Similar findings have been made in the study by Lewig, et al. (2010). The
refugee parents in their study reported feelings of disempowerment, sadness, and frustration by the
increasing independence of their children.
A good example of this observation is Yakhnich’s (2016) study with 17 parents from the Former
Soviet Union who had emigrated to Israel. Their decision to emigrate was made based on the belief that
emigration would be beneficial for the children, which made them feel responsible for their children
adjusting well to the new life. They realized that their educational methods, which were based on control
and discipline, were not applicable in the new environment. Yet they continued to use their traditional
methods of parenting despite feeling like they might risk losing a close relationship with their children.
The wellbeing of children is considered to be a broad societal matter, in which the wellbeing of
society is closely connected to the quality of parenting practices. The state enjoys high levels of trust and
state-involvement in the family life is common (Gillies, 2011; Hollekim, et al., 2016; Johannesen & Appoh,
2016). Also, in the Aldoney & Cabrera (2016) study with Mexican parents, it was reported that it was
difficult to find a good work-life balance, and that they felt that their low education and ability to speak
English limited their chances to find better jobs. They wanted their children to become bi-cultural and to
learn values that reflect both American culture as well as their home countries in order to socialize into
American society and have a good life. Beyond the usual challenges encountered in childrearing, it is
common for immigrant parents to also face traumatic past experiences, the changing of family roles, social
isolation, and poverty. (Tingvold, Hauff, Allen, & Middelthon, 2012).
Parenting, in this Western view, is a complex skill that is seen as too important to be left to parents
themselves, so it must instead be based on scientific knowledge. The interests of the child should be put
before the mother’s (Edwards & Gillies, 2013; Gillies, 2011; Layne, Faircloth, & Hoffman, 2013). This
aligns with findings from a study with Mexican immigrant fathers in the U.S., by Behnke, Taylor, & Parra-
Cardona (2008), that found that parents actively tried to protect their children from negative environmental
influences like drugs. Both parents needed to be more involved in parenting in order to do so. Fathers
expressed concerns about their youths having too much freedom and that legal issues limited their ability
to discipline them. They were worried that their children´s wish for more freedom would lead to the loss of
respect for elders and parental authority, as well as a disregard for central cultural values like family
cohesion and closeness. identified common characteristics, such as strong family values and work ethics,
among these fathers that helped them to deal with the challenges they were faced with.
Change of Parenting Practices Adapting to the new environment also means reorganizing one’s life
and questioning one’s values, expectations, norms, and behaviors including one’s parental role (Este &
Tachble, 2009). Major differences between immigrants childrearing goals and methods from home and
those prevalent in the host society may lead to parental stress and conflict in the family (Yakhnich, 2016).
Yakhnich (2016) states “Given the great importance of the parental role in the individual’s life, believing
in one’s own ability to be a successful parent is necessary to normal adjustment to a new cultural
environment”.
Parents in the Tingvold, et al. (2012) study found it challenging to balance different child raising
methods. The Vietnamese parents reported that, during their years in Norway, they changed their style of
parenting so that it included practices that taught their children to be more autonomous. Fathers felt they
were lacking the language needed to help them talk to their children about emotional issues the way
Norwegian fathers did. These parents also often felt that their adolescent children were more competent
about Norwegian society, which indicates an acculturation gap. Both immediate and extended family
members were used as resources in parenting. Parents saw the freedom and the educational and economic
opportunities available for their children in Norway as positive (Tingvold, et al., 2012).
In another study, mothers and fathers from Eastern Europe raising children in the US mentioned
that lack of respect for parents, elders and teachers in US culture was one of the main difficulties of raising
their children in the US (Nesteruk & Marks, 2011). Although cultural values such as respect for elders,
humility, discipline, and a sense of belonging to their own culture were important to the Asian mothers
raising their children in Canada, Maiter & George (2003) also found that their focus group discussions
revealed that these values were not static but rather mediated by social context. Parents experience different
challenges, both related to them as individuals and in their role as mothers during their transition into
Norwegian society, and that they use both individual resources as well as environmental resources to work
through these challenges (Schmidt, 2018).

Davies 2000 Parenting is defined as the process of promoting and supporting the
physical, emotional, social, and intellectual development of a child
from infancy to adulthood.
Edwards & 2013 Parenting, in this Western view, is a complex skill that is seen as too
Gillies, Gillies 2011 important to be left to parents themselves, so it must instead be based
& Layne, 2013 on scientific knowledge. It is an occupation to which primarily mothers
Faircloth, & are expected to be emotionally devoted, and from which they should
Hoffman, gain personal fulfillment. The interests of the child should be put before
the mother’s
Gillies, 2011 The wellbeing of children is considered to be a broad societal matter,
Hollekim, et al., 2016 in which the wellbeing of society is closely connected to the quality of
Johannesen & 2016 parenting practices.
Appoh,
Este & Tachble, 2009 Migration as a Parenting Decision Two common reasons for migrating
are to look for better economic opportunities and a better standard of
living and to live in social, political, and religious freedom and stability
Yakhnich’s 2016 Parents realized that their educational methods, which were based on
control and discipline, were not applicable in the new environment. Yet
they continued to use their traditional methods of parenting despite
feeling like they might risk losing a close relationship with their
children.
Aldoney & 2016 Parents wanted their children to become bi-cultural and to learn values
Cabrera that reflect both American culture as well as their home countries in
order to socialize into American society and have a good life.
Dumbrill 2019 Parents used close supervision of their children’s activities outside the
home, taught them to have respect for others, and to do well in school.
Behnke, 2008 Parents actively tried to protect their children from negative
Taylor, & environmental influences like drugs. Both parents needed to be more
Parra-Cardona involved in parenting in order to do so.
 Anne Schmidt 2018 Parents experience different challenges, both related to them as
individuals and in their role as mothers during their transition into
Norwegian society, and that they use both individual resources as well
as environmental resources to work through these challenges.
Liat Yakhnich 2016 Pressures of work and learning to live in a new culture may lead to a
lack of emotional and physical availability to their children.
Renzaho, 2011 Interviewed Arabic speaking immigrants in focus groups to learn about
McCabe, & cultural values, behaviors, and practices concerning family dynamics
Sainsbury and how the participants negotiated these in their new environment.
Nesteruk & 2011 In another study, mothers and fathers from Eastern Europe raising
Marks, children in the US mentioned that lack of respect for parents, elders and
teachers in US culture was one of the main difficulties of raising their
children in the US.

Maiter & 2003 Although cultural values such as respect for elders, humility, discipline,
George and a sense of belonging to their own culture were important to the
Asian mothers raising their children in Canada.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This section describes the methodology that will be used in this study.
POPULATION
Parents (mothers and fathers) of children will be participants of this research process.
All participants will be immigrant from the South Asia has been living in Denmark between one
and a half and five years.
PROCEDURES
For base line survey, immigrants will be identified through key informants from local
representatives of the Ministry of Immigrant Absorption in Denmark and other persons in personal
contacts. They will provide the information about immigrant parents of children who have
immigrated from the South Asian countries during the last five years. Further the immigrants’
parents will be categories according age of their children. The representatives will contact the
parents and ask for permission to pass their names on to me. I would be able to find parents who
would be willing to participate. Having receive this initial agreement I will contact the parents to
introduce myself and the aim of the study. Targeted category will be invited to participate in
researcher process. Based upon their consent a suitable number of sample will be targeted for
further process.
SAMPLING STRATEGY
Purposive sampling will be the sampling strategy I will use focus groups and individual
interviews.
PILOT TESTING
Pilot study assures the validity and reliability of the instrument used in a study for data
collection. To confirm the validity and reliability different experts will be involve in this pilot
testing process. Firstly, the instrument will be presented to three experts on attitude testing for their
opinion. The questionnaire will be revise in the light of the views of the experts. Secondary, the
instrument will be administered to the sampled members (parents) of the study and further
improvements or changes will be made.
INSTRUMENT
Research instruments will be designed to collect the data. Relevant items will be added to
the instruments which will be according to the objectives of the study. Questionnaires, interviews
and a focus group discussion will be the tools of the study to collect the data from Asian immigrant
parents. All interviews will be recorded and later transcribed. Field notes will be written during
the interviews and later incorporated into the data.
DATA COLLECTION
The questionnaires will be administered personally by the researcher to the respondent of
the study (parents) for the data collection. In addition, different types of methods will be used at
different levels of data collection.
ANALYSIS
The significant statistical method will be used according to the study. Collected data will
be analyzed, tabulated and results will be reported accordingly.
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