Parallel Lives of Women: Experiences of Forced Migration and Life in Australia among Syrians and Sri Lankan Tamils

The Parallel Lives of Women (TPLW) research project is a collaboration between researchers from Western Sydney University's Humanitarian and Development Research Initiative (HADRI), the Community Migrant Resource Centre (CMRC) and SydWest Multicultural Services (SydWest). The focus of the study was to understand how immigration policy intersects with the different policy areas of migration, housing, education, and health to affect the cultural well-being of two cohorts of women who are subject to vastly different visa restrictions while living in Australia. These were: 1. Sri Lankan Tamil Women who came to Australia by boat on or after 13 August 2012 and before 1 January 2014, and who have asked for Australia's protection. 2. Syrian women who arrived in Australia within the last three years (2017-2020) as refugees from the Syrian conflict. These two cohorts were selected to explore the implications of different political treatment of women fleeing persecution and violence in their home country on their settlement experience in Greater Western Sydney (GWS), Australia. Specifically we focus on how the various types of visa category, and the different government services and entitlements that can be accessed, affect women from within Australia.