Individual and family expectations among first and second generation Sikh women in the UK : aspirations, constraints and patriarchal practices

This thesis explores the lives of first and second generation Sikh women in the UK.
It explores how women's lives are affected by family expectations, patriarchal
practices and relations. Based on thirty-nine interviews (nineteen with first
generation women and twenty with second generation women), the study provides
an insight into generational trends and changing perspectives on patriarchal practices
within the Sikh community.
This study assesses how first and second generation Sikh women see `appropriate
behaviour' of women as reinforced by both men and women. Women's perceptions
of the impact of the Sikh community on individuals and their families are explored
to evaluate the role it has in reinforcing `traditional' and patriarchal values on its
members.
Beginning with a review of the available literature and a discussion of its limitations
the thesis moves on to give an overview of the position of South Asian groups in the
UK, focusing particularly on the Sikh community and Sikh women. The thesis
identifies feminist theory and the grounded theory approach as appropriate analytical
tools for the research into Sikh women's perceptions of their families and
communities. The results are then organised under three main headings -
community, family and patriarchy. Finally, the conclusion ties together the
respondents' narratives and situates Sikh women's experiences within the sphere of
the Sikh family and community in the UK.