Maghrebi Women in SpainFamily Roles and Media Consumption

Resumo

This article examines the process of adaptation of Maghrebi women in migratory contexts by analysing their media diet, placing a focus on women of Moroccan origin who reside in Spain. On the one hand, the cultural setting is considered as a symbolic space in which the foreign-origin population should feel interested and to which access should be facilitated; on the other hand, cultural identity is considered as something that is both flexible and dynamic. Given that the lives of these women are basically limited to the home and that their roles in the family are heavily influenced by gender, the question addressed is: to what extent does the condition of being wives and mothers affect their media diet? Concepts such as ‘cultural overburden’ (feminist theories) and ‘institutional mediation’ (cultural studies) underpin the theoretical framework. The results suggest that the consumption of Arabic-language media reflects the need to maintain an emotional tie to the culture of origin. In the host country, access to media is restricted due to the low level of technological equipment in the home and to claims that this is ‘good for the family’. However, the behaviour of teenagers approximates to that of a ‘bridge’ generation.