A fine balance: Women, work and skilled migration

Meares, Carina

doi:10.1016/j.wsif.2010.06.001

Cited by 138 publications

(88 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…International relocation may be considered as another manifestation of work-family conflict, as it hinders women's professionality, often irreversibly [49,50]. Trailing women are pushed out of the labor market by a combination of social and cultural factors: Immigration rules that limit trailing spouses' job opportunities, difficulty in getting professional working permits, enhanced family needs during the relocation, reduced involvement of their partner in the household, and lack of a supporting network [51]. As a result, women felt that they do not have the time, energy, or availability to reestablish their professionality in the new country.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Voice of Trailing Women in the Decision to Relocate: Is it Really a Choice?

Slobodin¹

2017

People's Movements in the 21st Century - Risks, Challenges and Benefits

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The reasons for migration among highly skilled couples are economic as well as noneconomic. However, our understanding of the motivations of trailing wives remains somewhat limited, especially given their loss of personal, professional, and social resources during the relocation. This chapter explores the motivations of women to relocate for their husband's work. It examines how gender ideologies weave with the decision to relocate, and how women's considerations and preferences are taken into account during this process. This study included depth interviews with 12 trailing mothers in the Netherlands and in the United States during 2015-2016. Interviews were performed faceto-face or by video chat. The study used an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Narratives analyses revealed that most trailing wives exerted very limited agency during the decision process and felt that they do not have any realistic alternatives to relocation. This powerlessness was imposed by gender-role ideologies that portray women as the primary care provider and men as the primary breadwinner. Thus, women's motivations to go overseas were primarily centered on family benefits, such as improving the family's financial status or supporting their husband's career. These findings suggest that societal factors, mainly gender, significantly diminish the actual choice options available to trailing wives.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Voice of Trailing Women in the Decision to Relocate: Is it Really a Choice?

Slobodin¹

2017

People's Movements in the 21st Century - Risks, Challenges and Benefits

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“…Women may be selected to migrate to further the family's economic interests because women are considered especially reliable in terms of sending remittances to the family after migration (Goldin et al, 2011). However, there may be power imbalances in women's relationships with male partners that influence women's migration process by prioritizing the male partners' needs (Killian, Olmsted, & Doyle, 2012;Meares, 2010). Additionally, economic opportunities for women may be lower paid and less stable than those for their male counterparts due to their overrepresentation in domestic and care work (Fitzpatrick, 1997;Henrici, 2013).…”

Section: Immigrant Women and The Migration Processmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In some cases, the decisions to migrate were made by their male partners. This is a critical aspect of the pre-migration process, as prior scholarship has also suggested that for some women, the decision to migrate may reflect a power imbalance in which the male partner's economic needs and choices are prioritized (Killian et al, 2012;Meares, 2010). For a couple of women, economic reasons for coming to the U.S. were related to the needs of their families of origin.…”

Section: Women's Pre-migration Processesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Turning Points and Transitions: The Role of Family in Women’s Immigration Experiences

Vesely

Goodman

Scurlock

2014

ijcyfs

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Given the significant number of immigrants in the United States, especially immigrant families with young children, there is a need to better understand the experiences of immigrant women, and especially immigrant mothers. In particular, the factors impacting women's decisions to migrate, migration journeys, and post-migration adjustment should be examined. Framed in family life course theory and using ethnographic, in-depth interviews, we explored these three immigration phases for 40 first-generation Latina and African immigrant women who experienced motherhood in the U.S. Results of the study expand the literature focused on immigration experiences by considering turning points and transitions in women's migration processes, as they are shaped by both micro-(family) and macro-(socio-historical) level factors. The findings illustrate the spontaneous nature of some decisions to migrate, as well as how immigration journeys are influenced by the financial and physical supports of families and the status of their documentation. In addition, study findings point to motherhood as an important turning point for first-generation immigrant women in their adjustment to life in the U.S., and particularly in their planning with respect to staying long term. Implications for programs, policy, and future research are discussed.

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“…India's liberal migration policy supports the temporary migration of highly skilled workers, giving rise to a growing middle class that is enticed by career-based mobility (Manohar 2013;Mani 2009;Roos 2013). A substantial body of literature has examined the relationship between gender and international migration, yet little attention has been given to the gendered experiences of highly skilled migrant women (Butt 2014;Meares 2010;Raghuram 2004;Yeoh & Willis 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Research on the migration experiences of skilled women suggests varying views: some indicate that it negatively affected their careers (Hardill 2002;Man 2004;Suto 2009); leading o downward occupational mobility and a movement away from their professional life towards the family and home (Meares 2010) or to a redomestication of women (Yeoh & Willis 2005). The focus of this paper is on the international migration experiences of skilled women who follow their husbands, regarded as professional elites, to South Africa.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

‘ Fitting In ’ : Social Cohesion among Skilled Migrant Indian Women and Host Diasporic Communities in South Africa

Rugunanan

2017

Alternation

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Migration has traditionally been seen as a primarily male domain, particularly in developing countries. However, global practices have increased the visibility of women migrants such that the feminisation and irregularisation of migration has led to new flows of transnational migrant movements, particularly to South Africa. Attention is drawn to the growth of South-South migration, specifically focusing on Indian migrant women, as accompanying their professional spouses migrating to South Africa. Set within a social cohesion framework, this paper examines how the women attempt to find a 'fit' in a socially diverse society where distrust, exclusion and racism still prevail. This investigation is based on exploratory research using qualitative interviews conducted with married Indian women. The focus of this paper examines the reasons for their migration, their choice to migrate specifically to South Africa, perceptions of South Africa, their sense of inclusion and observes if they develop a sense of belonging to the country. Preliminary findings show that the migrants find South Africans very tolerant, but keep to themselves as the fear of crime impedes integration.

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A fine balance: Women, work and skilled migration

Cited by 138 publications

References 17 publications

The Voice of Trailing Women in the Decision to Relocate: Is it Really a Choice?

The Voice of Trailing Women in the Decision to Relocate: Is it Really a Choice?

Turning Points and Transitions: The Role of Family in Women’s Immigration Experiences

‘ Fitting In ’ : Social Cohesion among Skilled Migrant Indian Women and Host Diasporic Communities in South Africa

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