Discrimination and Well-Being: Perceptions of Refugees in Western Australia

Abstract

This paper reports the apparent paradox of high levels of discrimination experienced by humanitarian migrants to Australia, in the labor market and everyday life, yet simultaneous reporting of positive well‐being. How can people feel discriminated against, yet still be relatively satisfied with life? The study draws on quantitative and qualitative data from a study of 150 refugees from the former Yugoslavia, the Middle East, and Africa. Possible reasons for the level of well‐being are explored, including “relative deprivation theory,” as well as various resiliency and mitigating factors, including personal and social supports. The notion of eudaimonic well‐being – whereby experiences of difficulty produce positive well‐being – is also applied to the findings. The negative experiences and perceptions appear to map onto low‐level dissatisfaction or disgruntlement, and specifically directed or contained disappointment, rather than serious dissatisfaction with life generally, orientation to Australia, or negative subjective well‐being.

Settlement and employment experiences of South Sudanese people from refugee backgrounds in Melbourne, Australia

“…Unemployment can be an equally impactful experience that, if left unresolved, is likely to negatively influence settlement, health, and wellbeing (Abdelkerim & Grace, 2012;Blustein, 2008;Fozdar & Torezani, 2008;Paul & Moser, 2009;Taylor, 2004). Based on the International Labour Organization's standard definition, the category 'unemployed' is comprised of those individuals who are without paid work, available for work and seeking work.…”

Discriminación múltiple e inmigración: huellas de discurso institucional, académico y de la población

“…This is because there is a combination of political and economic forms of discrimination falling under the umbrella terminology "official ethnic discrimination" (Sorens, 2010). This is either due to the interest in labor discrimination being also detected in everyday life (Widner and Chicoine, 2011;Fozdar and Torezani, 2008) or to the discovery of means of circumventing it . Furthermore, the study of "gender discrimination" reveals discriminatory practices such as selective abortion and negligence in the healthcare of female children (Attané, 2009).…”

The Ambiguous Migrant. A Profile of African Refugee Resettlement and Personal Experiences in Southeast Queensland, Australia

“…These occur within the broader Australian community that consistently votes for politicians who stand for immigration control, and within under-resourced social and health systems that fail to apprehend and address complex refugee needs. Fozdar and Torezani (2008) found that despite various obstacles related to niche employment, low incomes, and discrimination, refugees in Western Australia did not report significant dissatisfaction with life (76.7% reported satisfaction). The authors attributed these results to mitigating factors such as culturally conditioned politeness, personality, social support, and the belief that despite experiences of discrimination, Australians are basically good people.…”