From Somalia to U.S.: Shifts in Gender Dynamics from the Perspective of Female Somali Refugees

Abstract

The purpose of this exploratory qualitative study was to explore shifts in gender dynamics among Somali female refugees who immigrated to the United States (U.S.). We used a community-based approach to recruit 30 participants who were interviewed by a bilingual interviewer. Themes were developed without preordained concepts. Results indicated most women came to the U.S. searching for safety and education. Participants reported increased freedoms, power, and demands within the family. Many women expressed a desire to maintain cultural, religious, and traditional gender roles. Implications for family therapists include attending to intersecting identities of Somali female refugees.

KEYWORDS:

• gender roles
• immigration adjustment
• intersectionality
• refugees

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thanks go to Fatah Ahmed for helping recruit and interview all 34 women and to Fatima Jama for her passion in helping conceptualize this project. We thank the members of our Community Advisory Board for their input and advice: Amira Adawe, Zabat Awed, Tom Bichanga, Der Her, Andrea Leinberger-Jabari, Sharon Lund, Frederick Ndip, Shannon Pergament, Luisa Pessoa-Brandao, Sue Purchase, Ismail Quasim, Abdullahi Sheikh, Fardowsa Yousuf, Abdiwahab Yusuf. Many thanks go to all those who helped with the challenging task of translation: Greg Toltzman and Eva Vashaw, Owners of Professional Interpreting, Ifrah Mohamed, Fatuma Noor, and Meyran Omar. We thank the Department of Family Medicine & Community Health and the Program in Human Sexuality for research support; Heidi Fall for meticulous administrative support and Kendall Choate and Jessica Prindle — our grant accountants. And a special thanks to all the Somali women who discussed their personal sexual lives with us.

Additional information

Funding

The Somali Women’s Initiative for Sexual Health (SWISH) Study was funded by The UCare Fund of the Minnesota Medical Foundation (2010-02R); The Planning Grant in Health Disparities Research (PHDR-2009-301) and The IDEA Multicultural Research Award, University of Minnesota; and The New Researcher Award, St. Cloud State University.