Knotted strands: Working lives of Indian women migrants in New Zealand

Abstract

While the burgeoning field of ethnic identity has been fuelled by the changing demographics of nations, such scholarship has given more concentration to general life contexts with much quantitative research done in America and Europe, and more recently in Australia. In this context the Indian Diaspora and ethnic identity have been studied, but there is a dearth of research on ethnic identity and Indians in New Zealand. This article draws on evidence from qualitative interviews with ethnic minority Indian women in New Zealand to illustrate ethnic identity negotiation. Three strands of experience were explored: 1) entry into the world of work; 2) staying in the world of work; and 3) the impact of work experiences on ethnic identity. The evidence indicates the difficulties encountered in entering the workforce and in sustaining work, creating knotted strands in the lives of the women. It seems to take approximately two years to start integrating experiences and coming to terms with life in the new country as minority ethnic women. The implications of such knotted strands in ethnic identity are discussed and situated in the wider context of policy development and diversity management that encourages and creates relevant and timely work for ethnic minority migrants.