The morality of immigrant home ownership: Gender, work and Italian-Australian sistemazione

Studies on Australian migrants and housing consistently confirm that the It alian-born have the highest home-ownership rates of all birthplace groups i n Australia. Only a few studies have suggested explanatory factors, includi ng agrarian histories and economic aspirations. This paper demonstrates tha t home ownership for post-war Italian migrants to Australia was indeed cond itioned by these and other factors, bur within the broader process of migra tion. Conditions of poverty in Italy made sistemazione (settling down) the goal of migration. Built into sistemazione was a gendered moral imperative to achieve it. Work experiences demonstrate how this imperative conditioned home ownership in Australia.