Visibility, settlement success and life satisfaction in three refugee communities in Australia

Abstract

This article explores settlement experiences of three refugee populations — ex-Yugoslavs, black Africans and people from the Middle East — who recently (1990s—2000s) arrived in Western Australia. Settlement success and life satisfaction are investigated in connection with the three groups' racial and cultural visibility in the host milieu and an endemic loss of occupational and social status. Data were collected through a survey of 150 refugees and the interpretation of statistical outputs was aided by follow-up in-depth interviews. The strongest predictors of life satisfaction were job satisfaction, financial satisfaction and social support, but their power varied between groups. Ex-Yugoslavs were more satisfied with their life in Australia than the other two groups, which is at least partly attributable to their whiteness and therefore reduced visibility in the general population. It is remarkable that `street discrimination' did not impact on the overall life satisfaction of refugees, while discrimination in the job market did. Refugee life satisfaction is compared to that of the general Australian population.

The Impact of Religious Difference and Unemployment/Underemployment on Somali Former Refugee Settlement in Australia

“…In line with previous research (see Colic-Peisker, 2009;Colic-Peisker & Tilbury, 2006), participants felt disadvantaged in the employment market for a multitude of reasons, such as educational qualifications not being recognized, lack of local work experience, no local references, no copies of certificates, and differences in job-seeking practices (e.g., having to write a resume and addressing selection criteria). According to Asif (62,unemployed), within the local Somali community, up to 80% of young Somalis (20-40 age group) were cab drivers, not out of choice, but out of necessity.…”

“…(p. 176) 10 This paper applies visible difference to examine the challenges faced by Somali former refugees on employment. The relevance of visibility in terms of settlement is that it often marks out refugees (as well as other visible migrants) for differential and sometimes discriminatory treatment in the workforce and other societal domains of their host countries (Colic-Peisker, 2009). ColicPeisker and Tilbury's (2007) investigation into the effect of visible difference on employment found that African minority groups (from Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia, and Eritrea) suffered high levels of unemployment based on race, religion, and ethnic origin, with multiple narratives reflecting racial discrimination in the workforce.…”

Editorial Political Cartoons in Australia: Social Representations & and the Visual Depiction of Essentialism

“…communities; due to their distinctiveness in the Australian social context of a predominantly white, Christian, English-speaking population (Colic-Peisker 2009). It is the inference potential of this visibility that is the interest of this paper, in particular the potential of some visible religious markers to be perceived as projecting an underlying essence about the group that irrevocably defines who the group is, what they think and what they do ).…”

“…Australia accepts around 13,000 refugees a year, and began accepting Humanitarian refugees in 1938 when it offered protection to Jews escaping Nazi Germany. However, it was not until 1975, and the end of the Vietnam war, that the composition of the refugee intake, in line with the focus of the Humanitarian program, shifted from the culturally familiar to the culturally distant (Colic-Peisker 2009;Hanson-Easey and Augoustinos 2010).…”

The expected well-being of urban refugees and asylum-seekers in Johannesburg

“…Turning to international studies on the general well-being of refugees and asylum-seekers, the following emerged in studies undertaken in developed countries, including the USA, (Meredith, 1984;Tran & Wright, 1986) and Australia (Colic-Peisker, 2009). The study by Meredith (1984) considered the subjective well-being of Lao Hmong refugees and asylum-seekers in Nebraska, while the study by Tran and Wright (1986) investigated the subjective well-being of Vietnamese refugees in the USA.…”