An Exploration of Gender Roles, Attitudes and Expectations in Nigerian Immigrant Families in Ireland

This project explores gender roles expectations and attitudes among first generation Nigerian men and women living in Ireland. Specifically this work examines how the process of migration influences gender roles expectations and attitudes. Through interview data, I investigate how Nigerian born men and women navigate what I suggest are a series of shifts in expectations surrounding gendered behaviour that accompanies the experience of cultural adaptation to Irish society. Previous research has established that migration and the associated experience of cultural adaptation have consequences for gender role expectations, particularly for women. Central to my project is an investigation of how the processes of migration influence gender role expectations and attitudes among first generation Nigerians in Ireland. In other words, this research is interested in learning how Nigerian men and women negotiate these shifts and the consequences of such changing gender role expectations for the division of household labour, definitions of appropriate gender behaviour and the stability of their relationships. Possible factors that may affect these experiences include the extent to which Nigerian women are exposed to education and labour market participation. While these questions have been posed in other contexts, this work represents the first effort to map these changes in Ireland.

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

masters

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

National University of Ireland Maynooth

Year dc:date.issued

2015

Author dc:creator

• Onyemelukwe, Maria Uchemdia

Language dc:language

en