Abstract
Foreign national single mothers are at high risk of financial hardship, which may impact on their psychological wellbeing. The aim of the study was to explore the psychosocial and economic experiences of undocumented foreign single mothers in Tembisa, Gauteng. Snowball sampling was adopted as a non-probability data collection tool to select the participants and were later analysed in-depth using thematic analysis. Fifteen participants were selected to participate in semi-structured interviews and five participants for one focus group. The research examined the livelihood strategies, challenges, opportunities and outcomes of undocumented foreign national single mothers. The major findings outlined the different challenges faced by undocumented single mothers residing in the low-income community of Tembisa, Gauteng. Three key themes: economic experiences, xenophobic attacks, and interpersonal stresses formed the main findings. The study explored these themes through the theoretical lens of the sustainable livelihood framework and found that single undocumented mothers struggled with a vast majority of issues such as being vulnerable to economic exploitation and financial hardship which negatively impacted their psychosocial wellbeing. Based on semi-structured interviews and the focus group discussion, the researcher’s assertion in this study was that the reported livelihood experiences of undocumented foreign national single mothers highlighted a complex connection between feminization of poverty and livelihoods. On the one hand, findings show that immigration has improved the economic and social wellbeing of undocumented foreign national single mothers in Tembisa, and on the other hand, being undocumented undermines the livelihood options of undocumented foreign national single mothers. The study, therefore, recommends that undocumented foreign national single mothers be assisted with applying for legal status and for social workers to be more proactive in dealing with the psychosocial challenges presented by undocumented foreign national single mothers to enhance their sustainable livelihoods...
M.A. (Social Work)