SINGLE MOTHERS IN FIJIAN SOCIETY:
SURVIVING AGAINST THE ODDS
by Apryle Pickering

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Note on the Pronunciation of Fijian Words

Introduction

Chapter 2 - Fijian Attitudes Toward Single Mothers

Chapter 3 - Widowed and Divorced Mothers

Chapter 4 - The HART Home As a Beneficial Resource to Single Mothers

Demographics of the Home

Rules and Restrictions for the Hart Home

Individual Cases

Cultural Attitudes Toward the Home

Chapter 5 - Government Assistance Programs

Social Welfare Services

Fiji Women's Crisis Center

Conclusion

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to thank a number of people for making the research and compilation of this project possible. First, I would like to thank all the single mothers in the villages as well as those in the HART Home for opening up to me and allowing me to interview them. I would like to thank the women employed at the Social Welfare Office for their time and assistance as well as my Fijian host sister, Iliseva Tilatila for all her help with my research. Lastly, I would like to thank Professors Brison and Leavitt for all their support and guidance. I have learned a great deal from this research opportunity and have enjoyed the experience tremendously. Thank you.

NOTE ON THE PRONUNCIATION OF FIJIAN WORDS

Fijian orthography generally follows an pattern that fits with an English speaker's intuitive understanding, but some distinctive devices have been used to render Fijian in a systematic way.

More conventional orthography:

"a" as in "father"
"e" as in "bed"
"i" as the "ee" in "beet"
"o" as in "hope" but with no diphthong
"u" as in "tube"

The unconventional features of Fijian orthography are as follows:

"b" refers to the sound "mb" as in "tomboy"
"d" refers to "nd" as in "find"
"c" is a voiced "th" as in "the"
"g" is the "ng" as in "singer"
"q" is the "ng" as in "finger"

INTRODUCTION

The role of single mothers is becoming an increasing problem in Fiji today. They lack a defined position in society due to changing economic circumstances and are trapped in a culture that does not support them. With the rise in capitalism and the increasing appeal of the "working woman", the single mother in Fijian society faces a dilemma. They find themselves unable to hold a job and care for their children properly, without the help of governmental assistance. The strain on their family economically would be seen as a burden and many women try to avoid this predicament. In a system where the bonds between family members are the core of society, single mothers seem to be overlooked. In the case of both an unmarried woman raising her illegitimate children alone or a widow struggling to put her kids through school there are limited resources to rely on. Fijian culture has placed so much power in the roles played by men that it is difficult for a woman to stand on her own, especially if children are involved. The possibility of remarrying is also hindered due to the fact that the children are not always welcomed into the new family. The only choice for the mother in this situation is to leave her children with another family member which is obviously not easy to do. This is surprisingly common, however, and I find the fact that the new husband will not accept the children disturbing.

I became interested in this topic when I arrived in the village. I immediately took notice of the large number of women that were struggling to raise their children on their own. In my village alone their are over ten single mothers or widows that rely completely on their family for support financially and emotionally. This problem was later emphasized for me when I was introduced to the HART Home (Housing Assistance Relief Trust) which is located in a nearby town and witnessed their lifestyle as well. The HART Home is a series of apartments set aside specifically for single mothers who have no income and nowhere else to turn. It consists of four buildings side by side with five apartments in each, and each apartment is filled with as many as eight people. Although the sanitary conditions are not great the atmosphere is very inviting. This form of aid is obviously very useful in such a society; however, the overall opinion of the home by the community is negative. These people are seen as being impoverished and often times the children suffer for these stereotypes in school. I find this to be very unfortunate since this is a good financial option for these people. Being introduced into this setting had an extreme impact on me and involved me further in the subject matter. I became very sympathetic toward these women and wanted to learn more about their unfortunate situation.

In order to evaluate this topic to the fullest I conducted a series of interviews both with single mothers in the villages and in the HART Home. These conversations involved a series of questions that focused on their situation in particular. The themes for young single mothers in the village were centered around their pregnancy experience and the reactions that they encountered by others. In Fijian culture the members of society are under extreme pressure to conform to tradition; however, these women directly disregarded the traditional way of marrying before they have children. The reactions of the community portray this in that the parents of these mothers are often ashamed and the community judges them severely. I also prompted them to discuss their relationship with the father of their children and his role in their lives. I found that often times the father of the children abandoned them and was not able to support them financially either. The issue was also mentioned that if the father were to play a part in their lives then the possibility of his family taking the child would be a risk. This is avoided whenever possible, and the role of the "father figure" in the lives of the children tends to be overlooked. These interviews were anywhere from thirty minutes to one hour in length depending on the quality of the information and the willingness of the informant to discuss the topics. I found, however, that most of the younger girls were ashamed of their situation and their parents did not want them to discuss the matter at all.

The interviews with the widowed women were much more open, and I was able to obtain more information during these conversations. The questions ranged in topics from the quality of their marriage before their husband passed away to their standard of living afterward. They had a variety opinions on the matter and I was surprised to find that although they were not well off financially many of them enjoyed their lives more on their own. They had a sense of freedom and could live their lives for themselves rather than to satisfy their husband. Many marriages in Fijian society are extremely oppressive to women. Fijian wives often endure countless episodes of physical violence as well as emotional abuse and the opportunity to free themselves of this trauma is inviting. Most could not remarry, however, even if they chose to because of the fact that their new spouse would not care for her children. In situations such as this when the children enter into the new marriage the possibility for child abuse greatly increases. Most women would just prefer to stay single, and one hopes they would be granted the opportunity to enter a home such as the HART.

The interviews that were completed at the HART home had much less substance, but while immersed into their culture and the atmosphere of the home I could better understand their situation. The questions that I asked of them in conversation focused on their decision to enter the home and the requirements for being a tenant. I found a comparison between life in the home versus life in the village and the disadvantages and advantages to both. I also evaluated the perspective of the community on the home and the role that it plays in society. Most women in the home were thankful for the opportunity to be staying there and honestly believed that they could not support their children otherwise. Also the fact that the home is close to the schools helps out tremendously. Visiting the HART Home was an incredible experience for me and one that I used to better understand the roles of single women in society.

Lastly, I was able to talk with a woman at the social welfare office who helped me immensely. We discussed the various forms of aid that they offer to the single mothers, and she explained the opportunities that they have in the various situations. I was also able to research the welfare system as a whole and better understand the requirements for receiving welfare assistance. These systems are crucial for single mothers to support their children and they help to locate the father as well. Through the welfare system you are able to take legal action against the father to obtain child support money. This system is used by many single mothers; however, the success rate is so low that other options need to be explored. In doing this interview I learned a great deal about the unfortunate legal situation that these women are placed in and unwillingness of many men to cooperate. My informant believed, however, that in the case of the younger single mothers they could have done more to avoid their pregnancy and need to take more responsibility. She agreed that this problem has significantly increased and hopes that through greater awareness women will be more responsible.

There has been a growth of discontent with the women's roles in Fiji today, and in dealing with the issues of single women I have found a great need for change. They are operating in a society that excludes them from economic and cultural norms, sometimes even alienating them from the community. These women have had to compromise their lifestyle for the good of their children and accept their role in society as being undefined. In the following chapters I will discuss the significance of a society that adheres to tradition and the negative effects it has on single mothers.

On to Chapter 2...