Navigating belonging and identity: the experiences of female Central Asian migrants in Australia

This chapter analyses how female migrants from Central Asia negotiate belonging, identity, and adaptation in multicultural Australia. Through interviews with women from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, Ubaydullaeva shows that belonging is partial, conditional, and shaped by migrants’ expectations of safety, opportunity, and personal autonomy. Rather than assimilating completely, women tend to develop hybrid identities in which selected aspects of Australian social life overlay but do not replace their original cultural identities. The chapter addresses labour market challenges, intercultural adjustment, family expectations, and perceptions of inclusion. It fills a significant gap in migration scholarship by focusing on a small yet growing migrant group whose experiences highlight broader debates on multiculturalism and gendered migration.