The Stressors and Challenges of Single Motherhood: The Lived Experiences of African Immigrant Women

Abstract

<p>This study examines the settlement experiences of immigrant women of African heritage and more specifically the challenges and stressors of parenting as a single mother. The work and home dynamic expose issues of parental stress, economic instability, increased effects on mental health, and a strained parent-child relationship. To examine this research problem further, I conducted 3 semi-structured interviews with immigrant African women. This study was guided by three theoretical frameworks: transnational feminist theory, intersectionality, and family stress theory. The results of this study highlight the impact of intersectionality on one’s experience of parenting and integration. Additionally, this study brings attention to the lack of focus on single African immigrant women in immigration discourse. The potential benefits of this research include increased visibility of this unseen population, policy implications aimed at improving childcare accessibility, culturally relevant mental health support and reduce the funnelling of racialized immigrant women in precarious work.</p>