Highly Educated Taiwanese Women Seeking A Self-Acceptable Social Position In Finland

202 Pages·2014·0.98 MB·English

University of Helsinki, Institute of Behavioural Sciences,
Studies in Educational Sciences 253
Chia-Chien Chang

HIGHLY EDUCATED TAIWANESE WOMEN SEEKING
A SELF-ACCEPTABLE SOCIAL POSITION IN FINLAND

Helsinki 2014
Custos
Professor Gunilla Holm, University of Helsinki
Supervisors
Professor Gunilla Holm, University of Helsinki
Docent Sirpa Lappalainen, University of Helsinki
Pre-examiners
Professor Leena Koski, University of Eastern Finland
Docent Seija Keskitalo-Foley, University of Lapland
Opponent
Dr. Ghazala Bhatti, Bath Spa University, UK
Cover photograph
Chia-Chien Chang Flying with Purpose, Not Just Drifting with the Wind
Unigrafia, Helsinki
ISBN 978-952-10-9370-8 (pbk)
ISBN 978-952-10-9371-5 (pdf)
ISSN-L 1798-8322
ISSN 1798-8322
University of Helsinki, Institute of Behavioural Sciences,
Studies in Educational Sciences 253
Chia-Chien Chang
HIGHLY EDUCATED TAIWANESE WOMEN SEEKING
A SELF-ACCEPTABLE SOCIAL POSITION IN FINLAND
Abstract
Studies have identified immigrants’ barriers to full employment in Finland but
have revealed very little about how the intersections of gender, race/ethnicity
and class influence the settlement process in Finnish society. The main purpose
of the study was to investigate how highly educated (university-educated)
Taiwanese women acquire, transfer and transform their cultural capital through
their middle-class habitus to seek a self-acceptable social position in Finnish
society. The study’s theoretical frameworks have drawn on Bourdieu’s concept
of habitus, capital, field, and practice, and incorporate an intersectionality
perspective into the data analysis in the interest of gaining deeper insights into
the complexities of the women’s experiences in terms of their multiple positions
in different social settings in Finland.
This study employed a feminist standpoint epistemology in terms of
epistemic commitments and used narrative inquiry with thematic analysis as the
methodological strategy. Narrative inquiry as a methodological approach was
used to elicit the stories of ten Taiwanese women who married Finns and
immigrated to Finland. The data were produced through life-story interviews
conducted in the women’s first language, Chinese or Taiwanese in 2006. The
discussion of the findings has been organized according to the three key themes:
employability, underemployment, and mothering.
The common pattern of downward social mobility for first generation
immigrants was found to repeat among these highly educated Taiwanese
women, a pattern is not independent of questions of race/ethnicity in the
Finnish labor market. Despite the weak link between cultural capital and
employment outcomes, many of them have had no choice but to stay optimistic
for – Luck is when preparation meets opportunity – by improving their never-
good-enough Finnish language skills and acquiring more education or training,
as part of an endeavor to reverse the “temporary” downward mobility. Some of
the women have turned to care work beyond their previous training and formal
qualifications; they have made compromises, have retrained and work as
practical nurses due to a lack of employment opportunities in their fields.
Acculturation and maintaining their heritage within the Finnish context have
become problematic for many of the women and their mothering practices.
Finnishness has the utmost capacity to determine the legitimation of each
member’s capital and creates social boundaries which either promote or limit
access to social mobility. In order to secure and maintain a better position for
their children, the women raise their children as Finnish children by distancing
themselves from their Taiwanese cultural heritage and espousing Finnishness.
Paradoxically, these highly educated Taiwanese women are confined to a
marginal position in the Finnish labor market, but on the other hand, middle-
class privilege is identified in their mothering practices in terms of parental
involvement in their children’s education. Their home-based and school-based
parental involvement hold the greatest hope for their children’s realization of
their full potential and ultimately maintaining their status as middle-class
members of the dominant group. The stories of these Taiwanese women disclose
how the intersections of social class, gender and race/ethnicity (re)produce
inequalities in a Finnish context.
Key words: Habitus, cultural capital, intersectionality, Taiwanese immigrant
women
Helsingin yliopiston käyttäytymistieteiden laitos
Kasvatustieteellisiä tutkimuksia 253
Chia-Chien Chang
KORKEASTI KOULUTETUT TAIWANILAISNAISET ETSIMÄSSÄ
ITSEHYVÄKSYNTÄÄ JA SOSIAALISTA ASEMAA SUOMESSA
Tiivistelmä
Suomeen saapuneista maahanmuuttajista tehdyissä tutkimuksissa on tunnistet-
tu maahanmuuttajien aliedustus työmarkkinoilla sekä esteet vakituiselle työllis-
tymiselle, mutta toisaalta tutkimukset eivät ole juurikaan tuoneet esille minkä-
lainen vaikutus sukupuolella, rodulla/etnisyydellä ja yhteiskuntaluokalla yhdes-
sä ja risteävinä tekijöinä on integroitumisprosessissa suomalaiseen yhteiskun-
taan. Tämän tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli tutkia miten korkeasti koulutetut
(ylemmän korkeakoulututkinnon omaavat) taiwanilaiset naiset kartuttavat, siir-
tävät ja muuntavat kulttuurista pääomaansa yhteiskuntaluokkapohjaisen habi-
tuksensa kautta, löytääkseen itse hyväksymänsä sosiaalisen paikkansa suomalai-
sessa yhteiskunnassa. Teoreettinen viitekehys tässä tutkimuksessa on pääosin
lähtöisin Bourdieun habituksen, pääoman, kenttien ja käytäntöjen käsitteistä.
Lisäksi tutkimusaineiston käsittelyyn käytettiin teoreettisena näkökulmana
intersektionaalisuutta, jotta saatiin luotua parempi käsitys siitä monimutkaisuu-
desta, jota taiwanilaiset naiset kokevat, olleessaan erilaisissa sosiaalisissa ase-
missa ja erilaisissa sosiaalisissa tilanteissa Suomessa.
Tässä tutkimuksessa käytettiin menetelminä feminististä standpoint-
epistemologiaa, narratiivisen tutkimusmenetelmää ja temaattista analyysiä.
Narratiivinen tutkimusmenetelmä oli tarpeellinen ja arvokas, kun haluttiin tun-
nistaa taiwanilaisnaisten intersektionaalinen asema Suomessa sekä saada selville
heidän erilaiset ja yksilölliset näkemyksensä yhtä oikeellisina keskenään. Tut-
kimukseen osallistui kymmenen naishenkilöä, joilta kerättiin tutkimustietoa
elämäntarinahaastatteluilla. Haastattelut suoritettiin naisten äidinkielellä, kii-
naksi tai taiwaniksi, vuonna 2006. Haastatteluiden tulokset jaettiin kolmeen
pääteemaan, jotka nousivat esille haastatteluaineiston analyysissä: työllistymi-
nen, alityöllisyys ja äitiys.
Sosiaalisen aseman lasku toistuu kaavamaisesti korkeasti koulutettujen,
ensimmäisessä sukupolvessa maahan muuttaneiden taiwanilaisnaisten elämäs-
sä, mihin vaikuttaa suomalaisen työvoiman rotu-/etnisyysasetelma. Huolimatta
heikosta sidoksesta kulttuurisen pääoman ja työllistymisen onnistumisen välillä,
monilla naisista ei ole muuta vaihtoehtoa kuin ylläpitää toivoaan sen suhteen,
että “Onnekkuus on sitä, kun valmistautuminen kohtaa mahdollisuuden”, ja
parantaa aina riittämättömäksi osoittautuvaa suomenkielentaitoaan tai hankkia
lisää paikallista koulutusta kääntääkseen “väliaikaisen” sosiaalisen aseman las-
kukierteen. Jotkut naiset ajautuvat terveydenhoitoalalle lähihoitajiksi, mutta
valinta on kompromissi parempien työskentelymahdollisuuksien puutteessa,
eivätkä he tee valintaa sen vuoksi, että ovat naisia. Lähihoitajiksi päätyvien osal-
ta tapahtuu leimautumista työvoimassa sukupuolen ja rodun/etnisyyden osalta.
Naiset kasvattavat lapsensa yksinomaan suomalaisiksi etäännyttäen heidät
taiwanilaisesta kulttuuriperimästään ja suosien suomalaisuutta. Paradoksaali-
sesti korkeasti koulutetut taiwanilaiset naiset on rajattu mitättömään rooliin
suomalaisilla työmarkkinoilla, mutta toisaalta heidän keskiluokkainen etuoikeu-
tettu roolinsa tulee esille äitiydessä ja tavassa, jolla he osallistuvat ja vaikuttavat
lastensa kouluttautumiseen. Heidän kotona ja koulussa tapahtuva vanhemman
rooli keskittyy suureen toiveeseen siitä, että he mahdollistavat lapsilleen hyödyn-
tää täysi potentiaalinsa ja lopulta tulla tasavertaisiksi keskiluokan edustajiksi
valtaväestön keskuudessa. Näiden taiwanilaisnaisten tarinat paljastavat, että
sosiaalinen asema yhdessä sukupuolen ja rodun/etnisyyden kanssa tuo esille
eriarvoisuutta suomalaisessa viitekehyksessä.
Avainsanat: habitus, kulttuurinen pääoma, intersektionaalisuus, taiwanilaiset
maahanmuuttajanaiset
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First and foremost, I would like to thank all of the participants for sharing their
time and personal experiences with me. You have inspired me to do my best
because your stories are worth telling and reading with integrity and sincerity.
Without your help and contribution, this dissertation would not have been
possible.
I would like to express my deepest thanks to my supervisors who have
challenged, enlightened, and educated me: Professor Gunilla Holm and Docent
Sirpa Lappalainen. Thank you for your patience, inspiration, and guidance. I am
profoundly thankful for your beliefs in the significance of my work. There are no
words that can adequately express my gratitude.
I would like to give very special thanks to Professor Elina Lahelma for taking an
interest in my research proposal and opening the door to my research life.
Special thanks also go to Professor Diane Reay for her inspirational feedback and
interesting discussions during my participation in an Erasmus exchange
program at the University of Cambridge. I would like to express my sincere
appreciation to my pre-examiners, Professor Leena Koski and Docent Seija
Keskitalo-Foley, for their thought-provoking statements to improve the quality
of this work.
My appreciation is extended to Harriet, Laia, and Tuija for their feedback and
comments on my work at various stages. I owe a great deal of gratitude to
Docent Paul Ilsley who spent his precious time in carefully proofreading my
workand offering invaluable comments. My thanks also go to Mr. Tuomo Aalto
for his assistance withformatting and layoutof my dissertation.(cid:289)
I would like to acknowledge the Institute of Behavioural Sciences at the
University of Helsinki, the Ministry of Education of Taiwan, Suomalainen
Konkordia-liitto, and Niilo S. ja Helen Alhon säätiö for providing me with
funding support to carry out this work.
I am greatly indebted to my family and especially my sister Chia-Ling and cousin
Ting-Feng for their constant support and having an unwavering belief that one
day I could complete my PhD. I would also like to extend my heartfelt thanks to
my dear friends (in alphabetical order), Chieh-An, Chiung-Lin, Grace, Huei-Yi,
Judy, Lana, Li-Fen, Michelle, Naoko, Su-Ping, Wen-Fu, Ya-Fen, and Yu-Fen, for
their encouragement and comforting words to help me through difficult times.
Last, but most important, I would like to thank to my witty and handsome
husband, Mikko. You are my source of joy, happiness, and strength, and you are
the only reason for me to be in Finland. You never doubted that I would make it,
even though I doubted myself quite often. Without your endless support,
amazing tolerance, and unconditional love, I could never have finished this
work.(cid:289)
Vantaa, May 2014
Chia-Chien Chang
CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE ........................................................................................................ 1
Introduction ........................................................................................................ 1
1.1 Re-Searching Myself: Looking Back at What Sparked My Research ...... 1
1.2 Research Background: Recent Immigration Trends in Finland ............ 4
1.3 Research Purpose and Question ............................................................. 9
1.4 An Outline of the Dissertation .............................................................. 10
CHAPTER TWO .................................................................................................... 13
Theoretical Framework ................................................................................... 13
2.1 Bourdieu’s Theory of Practice ............................................................... 13
2.2 Implications and Limitations of Bourdieu’s Concepts ........................ 20
2.3 Intersectionality .................................................................................... 21
2.4 Application of the Theory of Practice and Intersectionality ................ 26
CHAPTER THREE................................................................................................29
Methodology .................................................................................................... 29
3.1 Feminist Standpoint Epistemology ...................................................... 29
3.2 Narrative Approach .............................................................................. 30
3.3 Research Design ................................................................................... 32
3.4 Reflexivity ............................................................................................. 42
3.5 Ethical Considerations ......................................................................... 47
3.6 Trustworthiness .................................................................................... 48
CHAPTER FOUR ................................................................................................... 51
Portable but Barely Convertible Cultural Capital: Finding a Job
in Finland .......................................................................................................... 51
4.1 My University Education Made My Immigration Life Miserable ......... 51
4.2 Two Success Stories of Converting Cultural Capital into a Career ...... 57
4.3 The Land of EqualOpportunity Is an Unrealized Dream ................... 62
CHAPTER FIVE .................................................................................................... 73
Acquiring Cultural Capital in a Cross-Cultural Setting ................................. 73
5.1 Learning the Finnish Language ............................................................ 73
5.2 Pursuing Local Degrees ........................................................................ 79
CHAPTER SIX ....................................................................................................... 87
Womanhood and Employment in a Cross-Cultural Context........................... 87
6.1 Womanhood in a Patriarchal Society .................................................... 87
6.2 Immigranthood in an Egalitarian Society ........................................... 93
6.3 Underemployed in Care Jobs as a Practical Nurse ............................ 102
CHAPTER SEVEN ............................................................................................... 113
Reproduction of Social Class and Finnishness .............................................. 113
7.1 Investing in Children’s Schooling ........................................................ 113
7.2 Middle-Class Social Reproduction Embedded in Mothering
Practices ............................................................................................... 119
7.3 Espousing Finnishness to Gain Dominant Group Privilege ............... 125
7.4 Taiwanese Mothers Raising Finnish Children ................................... 132
CHAPTER EIGHT ............................................................................................... 139
Conclusions and Suggestions for Future Research ....................................... 139
8.1 Conclusions ......................................................................................... 139
8.2 Suggestions for Future Research ........................................................ 142
REFERENCES ..................................................................................................... 143
APPENDICES ...................................................................................................... 183