Abstract. This article, which is based on 24 in-depth interviews conducted in 2005 with Finnish immigrant women in Estonia, analyzes immigrant acculturation in relation to cross-border contacts. I compared weak and strong social ties of two groups: respondents who were living in a Finnish 'enclave' separated from Estonian society, and respondents who were socially and institutionally integrated into Estonian society. Surprisingly, there was no notable difference in the type and frequency of inter-personal contacts maintained with Finland between the two groups; most interviewees sustained intense inter-personal contacts with family and friends by phone, the Internet and through reciprocal visits. Socalled weak ties that bind together rarely interacting people played a major role in the respondent's integration into the host society. Those women who had no social contacts within Estonian society preferred to use health-care and social welfare services in Finland, whereas the integrated women had established multiple institutional ties to Estonian society.
This article analyzes Finnish and Estonian womens perceptions of migration. The central questions are why women migrated from Finland to Estonia or vice versa, what expectations they had and how they ? rst experienced the immigration. The data consists of 48 in-depth interviews. The starting point for the two groups was different and unequal; furthermore, the time of migration played a crucial role in the formation of their experiences. The majority of the Finnish women interviewed migrated in the 21st century, mostly for family or career reasons. Their expectations were rather negative and their main experiences were related to their roles: following a husband or creating their own careers. Most Estonians migrated to Finland in the early or mid-1990s, when the societal situation was very unstable and many wanted to leave the country to look for a better life. However, they ? rst found life in Finland challenging.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.