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Protecting the honour of the daughters of Eire : welfare policy for Irish female migrants to England, 1940–70
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Ewart, Henrietta (2013) Protecting the honour of the daughters of Eire : welfare policy for Irish female migrants to England, 1940–70. Irish Studies Review, Volume 21 (Number 1). pp. 71-84. doi:10.1080/09670882.2013.763624
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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09670882.2013.763624
Abstract
Across the middle decades of the twentieth century, approximately 500,000 people left Ireland for Britain. Around half were young, single females migrating alone. Drawing on archival material in Ireland and England, this paper analyses the ways in which Catholic and secular agencies became aware of female Irish migrants; and how they understood and responded to their needs. Catholic organisations focused on maintaining religious belief and practice as a means of avoiding social problems in migrants. Some female migrants, such as nurses, were considered exemplars of Catholic and Irish femininity. However, female sexuality was problematised when associated with single motherhood, prostitution and cohabitation. The Irish hierarchy expected to lead policy development for migrant welfare. The framing of female migrant social needs within a moral and religious discourse led to solutions prioritising moral welfare delivered by Catholic priests and volunteers. Both the Irish government and British institutions (state and voluntary) accepted the centrality of Catholicism to Irish identity and the right of the Catholic Church to lead welfare policy and provision for Irish female migrants. No alternative understanding of Irish women's needs within a secular framework emerged during this period. This meant that whilst the Irish hierarchy developed policy responses based on their assessment of need, other agencies, notably the British and Irish governments, did not consider any specific policy response for Irish women to be required.
| Item Type: | Journal Article | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Divisions: | Faculty of Arts > History | ||||
| Journal or Publication Title: | Irish Studies Review | ||||
| Publisher: | Routledge | ||||
| ISSN: | 0967-0882 | ||||
| Official Date: | 2013 | ||||
| Dates: |
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| Volume: | Volume 21 | ||||
| Number: | Number 1 | ||||
| Page Range: | pp. 71-84 | ||||
| DOI: | 10.1080/09670882.2013.763624 | ||||
| Status: | Peer Reviewed | ||||
| Publication Status: | Published | ||||
| Access rights to Published version: | Restricted or Subscription Access |
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