Description
Migrant inclusion begins on the first day of their arrival and hinges on positive social interactions between migrants and other members of the societies they are part of.
This process of inclusion may, however, be hindered by various social challenges, ranging from limited access to the labour market, cultural or linguistic obstacles, and social tensions. Such challenges may be particularly acute for migrant women, in particular those arriving through family reunification, or those who identify as asylum seekers, refugees, (single) mothers supporting extended family systems, elderly women, women born of migrant parents without access to citizenship, those living in remote areas and women working in low skilled sectors (e.g. domestic sector).
A number of factors can contribute to a migrant woman’s risk of exclusion. Such factors can include, among others, reception and placement procedures, gendered norms, family situations, the level of education attained, and the knowledge of the language. While migration can increase access to education, income, autonomy and status, migrant women (even when skilled) continue to face a labour market that remains largely segmented by gender, with an over-representation of migrant women in low skilled sectors. In combination with these various factors, age and (ethnic) discrimination may also limit opportunities for social interaction and can lead to social isolation, loss of informal support networks, and increase risks of exclusion.
One-way approaches, whereby migrant women are expected to assimilate into an existing society, are still the most common approaches, though such challenges may also be shared with other members of the society at large. Despite the attention that inspiring grassroots initiatives have received from policy makers and funders, little has been done so far to share knowledge and learn from them in order to inform policy, funding and practice to eventually bring these initiatives to scale.