From exploitation to education to efficacy : Indigenous experiences of motherhood

Abstract

This dissertation explores the experiences of Indigenous women and their evolving feelings of parental efficacy while they attended a one-year post-secondary program for individuals who experienced sexual exploitation, as well as reflections from graduates of the program. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with a total of seventeen Indigenous women who attended the program – five current students and twelve alumnae. Two talking circles were held with a total of four alumnae of the program. Through thematic analysis, the impacts of this post-secondary education program on evolving feelings of parental efficacy became clear. Participants reported improved feelings of parental efficacy following graduation from this program, as well as an increased awareness of the intergenerational impact of colonization on families. Further, the program became more than an educational opportunity – it became a proxy family, with meaningful connections continuing long after graduation. Going forward, best practices for supporting these students, alumnae, and their families include ensuring staff and instructors provide not only the typical academic support needed, but also ongoing social, emotional, and spiritual support and guidance, running an alumnae group to allow the proxy family experience to continue in a formal way, and securing long-term financial support. These findings are useful not only in developing effective educational opportunities that allow for Indigenous women to attain a college education and employment, but also in addressing the overrepresentation of children in the child welfare system, as graduates enhance their parental efficacy, thus ensuring the next generation of Indigenous children will grow up in a balanced home environment within their own community.