De visie van Turkse en Marokkaanse moeders op de vrijetijdsbesteding van hun kinderen

• Published in: Journal of social intervention 2015-03, Vol.24 (1), p.24-41
• Main Authors: Van der Eecken, Annelore, Van de Walle, Tineke, Bradt, Lieve
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: gender; gestructureerde en ongestructureerde vrijetijdsparticipatie; leefomstandigheden; living conditions; marokkaans; moroccan; ouderschapspraktijken; parenting practices; participation in structured and unstructured leisure; turkish; turks
• ISSN: 1876-8830; 1876-8830
• DOI: 10.18352/jsi.434

The perception of Turkish and Moroccan mothers of their children’s leisure time activitiesToday, the importance of social participation is reflected in an accessibility discourse that is based on the assumption that as many social groups as possible should have access to mainstream youth work. The non-participation, or restricted participation, of certain social groups and the role of parents in this, is often viewed as a problem. However, all this is done without sufficient regard to the perspective of parents themselves. This article reports on the findings of a study which examined the perception of Turkish and Moroccan mothers of their children’s structured and unstructured leisure activities. It will include an examination of the significance of ethnic-religious factors, gender attitudes and living conditions. This interpretative study is based on thirteen qualitative interviews with Turkish and Moroccan mothers living in Lokeren, Sint-Niklaas and Ghent.The findings suggest that the mothers interviewed play an important role in their children’s leisure time activity and consciously reflect on how their children should spend their free time. The study found that the perceptions and actions of mothers are influenced by ethnic-religious factors. The importance of religion was illustrated by the fact that many of the mothers interviewed consider it important that children pray during their spare time. In addition, it was found that the mothers enrolled their children in Islamic and Arabic or Turkish lessons, and we observed that the children follow certain codes with regard to language, clothing, diet and alcohol consumption. Even though most of the mothers expressed a preference for their children to adhere to certain requirements and traditions, the study revealed the spontaneity with which children did so in their spare time, as well as the non-binding nature of these codes. The mothers’ preferences were rooted not only in their creeds, but also in the expectations of the community. Comments by both the Flemish and Turkish or Moroccan community seemed to influence the perceptions and choices of the mothers interviewed in relation to their children’s free time. However, the study also demonstrates that not all mothers seemed to interpret ethnic-religious rules in the same way. One important finding was that ethnicreligious factors also affect the attitude of others and this in turn can have an impact on mothers’ perception of their children’s leisure ac