Parenting occupies a central place in the lives of Muslim women; both as mothers and as daughters. It is a site of significant socialisation and relationship where the potential exists for positive development or significant impairment. The parenting process is also the central process by which individuals become active participants and conduits of the cultural positioning of women. Culture is practiced and transmitted in the parenting of the young, and the vast majority of cultures hold women as receptacles of community values and traditions. There is therefore a profound and sometimes oppressive politics surrounding mothers, particularly those who are sole parents. The expectations of, and from, Muslim women as mothers, especially those who are immigrants, are exceptionally high; parenting in a cross-cultural environment places significant challenges and sometimes barriers to the well being of women and positive parenting relationships. Often Muslim women face those challenges alone because of limited access and awareness of parenting, health and educational support services which may assist them in their role as parents. It is therefore essential that the process of parenting receive the attention of the Council so that Muslim women are not alone in facing these challenges and that the burden of cultural politics of motherhood and social costs of migration does not harm them as women and mothers. The Council has two programs which strive to support women;

“The Parenting and Resettlement Program” for newly arrived Muslim women seeks to support Muslim women through an individual casework support service and through groupwork education to meet the challenges in settling into their Australian context. Priority is given to Muslim women who are sole parents and women who have many children or children with challenging behaviours. This program focuses on the very practical aspects of settlement and integration.

The “Cornerstones Project”, a groupwork program for all Muslim women and children living in Victoria that emphasises capacity building of Muslim women and children through personal development and awareness. Women are encouraged to explore gender justice and expectations from motherhood and their impact on women and families, especially children. We work to develop women’s communication and parenting skills, providing information on parenting issues and resources. The final part of this groupwork module works on developing women’s parenting and community leadership capacities, focussing on how both aspects of their lives as women can co-exist. This program is available to Muslim women who are not newly arrived.