1 DISCOURSES OF GOOD MOTHERHOOD AMONG SOUTHEAST ASIAN IMMIGRANT WOMEN IN AUSTRALIA

In this paper, I examine the discourses of motherhood among Cambodian, Lao and Vietnamese immigrant women. The paper is based on a larger ethnographic research project on childbearing, childrearing and motherhood among Southeast Asian women in Australia. The results reveal several discourses of good motherhood. Becoming a mother was experienced as a moral transformation of self and women were urged to perform their moral career. To the women in this study, the representation of mothers as the “keepers of morality” is prominent. Women’s moral career is influenced by an ethic of care and responsibility for others, particularly their children. Additionally, the paradoxical discourse of motherhood is profound in the women’s narratives of their embodied experiences of motherhood. It is clear that motherhood is not an easy task. When this is combined with difficulties resulting from migration, motherhood becomes double burdens. Lack of sufficient English, financial difficulties and support network in a homeland make the task of good motherhood difficult to achieve. Social and health care services need to take women’s experiences into account i