In Pursuit of Development: Post-Migration Stressors among Kenyan Female Migrants in Austria

The emphasis on migration for development obscures its diverse challenges. The migration development nexus is paradoxical, problematic, and controversial. Remittances have long gained wide interest. Migrants’ subjective experiences are important in understanding overall migration outcomes. International African female migration has increased and it is underexplored. This paper investigates the psychosocial stressors of migration based on the lived experiences of Kenyan female migrants in Austria. A sample of 6 female migrants was selected. Narrative data were recorded and analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. The findings showed that migration resulted in troubled relationships within the core and extended families. The economic dependency of family members in Kenya caused conflicts in interracial marriages. Acculturation led to alienation, family separation and isolation. Achieving economic goals proved challenging due to unpredictable effects in Austria. Failed expectations driven by stereotypes about Europe resulted in disillusionment and high expenses. Routine racism and Black female body objectification affected the mental health of the participants. This article contributes to knowledge on international African migration and gender-specific issues concerning African female migrants. The results will inform policymakers, academia, future migrants and mental health providers. Further research on the effects of migration on African migrants is recommended.

Female migration in the Cape Verde islands: From islandness to transnationalism

Following island studies scholars’ suggestion to think “with the archipelago” in order to denaturalize and de-territorialize the object of study and grant more attention to decolonization processes and mobilities, this paper uses a gender perspective and multi-sited ethnographic research to explore changes in Cape Verdean identity perception related to islandness and migration issues. The tension between ‘openness’ and ‘closure’ is significant in the case of Cape Verde, where the relationship between the island and islanders represents a condition of being in the world. The sea opens to the outside, but it also closes off and imprisons islanders within the borders of the island. Before the 1970s, when most Cape Verdean migrants were men, inside/outside boundaries were played out as gender boundaries along the male/female opposition: external/internal, Terra Longe (the outside world)/Terra Mamaizinha (the motherland), danger/security. On the isle of Santo Antão, however, this has been changing with the gradual feminization of emigration to Europe. This shift has revolutionized the previous sense of home, giving rise to a new form of transnational female family that connects places of immigration and places of origin while also reorienting Cape Verdean female belonging from insular to transnational.

Forced returnee Bangladeshi female migrant domestic workers and their social reintegration experiences

Bangladeshi female migrant domestic workers are often forcefully repatriated from the Middle East before concluding their working tenure due to the various difficulties and challenges they face while working there. However, they face many new challenges in reintegrating with family and society after returning home. This article explores the experiences and challenges faced by forced returnee Bangladeshi female migrant domestic workers during social reintegration. It also examines the experiences of those returned migrant women who were not returned forcibly to provide a better idea of the reintegration. The questions of how and why forced returnee Bangladeshi female migrant domestic workers face challenges and problems in their social reintegration are addressed in this study. This article uses the qualitative techniques of data collection and the analysis is based on an in-depth interview of 28 respondents among different categories of participants. This article finds that the social reintegration experiences of forced returnee female migrant domestic workers are often stressful and difficult due to the issues of changed social perceptions towards them, psychological changes in the returnees themselves, challenges in intimate partnerships, and economic factors in the case of relationship rebuilding with friends, family and society. Finally, the article outlines some policy implications regarding the female migration of Bangladesh.

Feminization of Indian Migration: Patterns and Prospects

The migration of women or female migration has emerged as an important field of research within the larger domain of migration studies and is being extensively explored under various disciplines. This growing trend can be attributed to some major developments in international migration such as rising numbers of women migrants, growth of women-centric occupations, migration of women in an independent capacity, women-related legislations and growth of gendered perspectives on various issues. These factors together increased the visibility of women in the migration process and have given rise to what has been termed the ‘feminization of migration’. This paper explores the various nuances of the feminization of migration and aspects of female migration focusing on India. It begins with an overview of the growing numbers of women in the migratory flows and goes on to determine that despite the rising numbers and increased participation of women in the developmental dynamics of migration, they remain increasingly vulnerable and exposed to exploitation. The paper also highlights some of the critical policy decisions of the Government of India. The paper concludes that feminization of migration has undoubtedly increased the visibility of women in the migration discourse but much more needs to be done in terms of generating appropriate data, highlighting women’s role in the developmental process, evolving policies for ensuring their protection and security and above all empowering them and increasing their participation in the labour market.

Statut social et émigration internationale des femmes au Burkina Faso

Le statut social de la femme est un critère de différenciation dans le domaine de la migration internationale féminine. Cependant la littérature reste peu prolixe sur la relation entre celui-ci et la pratique migratoire. Cette étude vise à documenter les liens entre le statut des femmes et leurs comportements migratoires dans le contexte burkinabè. Elle s’appuie sur des données secondaires, 3 880 femmes âgées de 15 ans et plus, issues de l’enquête sur l’Interaction entre Politiques Publiques, Migrations et Développement (IPPMD) au Burkina Faso en 2014 collectées auprès de 2 200 ménages. L’analyse a été à la fois descriptive (bivariée et multivariée) et explicative (régression logistique). Les résultats montrent que le statut social de la femme est négativement associé à l’émigration internationale des femmes. Les émigrées sont celles qui ont un statut faible. Elles résident en milieu rural, dans des ménages ayant une expérience migratoire et un niveau de vie faible. Le statut social de la femme explique le départ vers l’étranger chez les femmes Burkinabè et contribue à l’exacerbation des flux migratoires au Burkina Faso. Le sexe du chef de ménage et la taille du ménage constituent un autre groupe de variables qui influencent directement l’émigration des femmes mais aussi de façon indirecte via le statut de celles-ci. En conclusion, cette étude aurait contribué à une compréhension plus large sur les migrations féminines au Burkina Faso. Au regard de ces résultats, l’amélioration des conditions de vie des femmes et l’analyse de l’impact de l’émigration internationale de cellesci sur certains secteurs de développement local telles que la santé et l’éducation constituent des pistes à explorer afin de contribuer à l’autonomisation des femmes d’une part et de tirer les avantages qu’offre la migration d’autre part. The social status of women is a criterion of differentiation in the field of international female migration. However, the literature is not very prolific on the relationship between this and the practice of migration. This study aims to document the links between the status of women and their migratory behavior in the Burkina Faso context. The study is based on secondary data, 3,880 women aged 15 and over, from the survey on the Interaction between Public Policies, Migration and Development (IPPMD) in Burkina Faso in 2014 collected from 2,200 households. The analysis was both descriptive (bivariate and multivariate) and explanatory. Results show that the social status of women is negatively associated with the international emigration of women. The emigrants are those who have a weak status. They live in rural areas, in households with migratory experience and a low standard of living. The social status of women explains the departure abroad among Burkinabè women and contributes to the exacerbation of migratory flows in Burkina Faso. The sex of the head of the household and the size of the household constitute another group of variables that directly influence the emigration of women but also indirectly via their status. In conclusion, this study would have contributed to a broader understanding of female migration in Burkina Faso. Based on these results, improving the living conditions of women and analyzing the impact of their international emigration on sectors of local development such as health and education are avenues for consideration to explore in order to contribute to the empowerment of women on the one hand and to reap the benefits of migration on the other.

Migration Infrastructure and Brokerage in Victorian Female Emigration Societies

In the nineteenth century, female mobility was eased by a variety of intermediary structures, which interacted to direct the migration of British women to the Empire. Among these migration infrastructures were female emigration societies such as the Female Middle Class Emigration Society (1861–1886). This organisation was the first to assist gentlewomen in emigrating. It adopted a holistic approach to British female emigration by promoting women’s departure, selecting candidates, arranging their protection on the voyage, as well as their reception in the colonies. Grounded in a multifactorial perspective, this article offers an insight into how female migration brokerage came into being in the Victorian context. It intersects migration with gender and labour perspectives in a trans-sectorial approach of the history of female migration infrastructures in the British Empire, and reveals the diversity of transnational migration intermediaries interacting at meso level between female emigrants, non-state actors, and state institutions.

Attraction and penetration of Musa by the burrowing nematode, Radopholus similis, in an autotrophic bipartite culture system

Summary Our objective was to discover the stages (pre- or post-infection) in which the resistance to burrowing nematode (Radopholus similis) occurs in two resistant banana (Musa spp.) cultivars. An autotrophic in vitro culture system was used to compare R. similis migration towards, and penetration into, the banana roots. A new two-compartment autotrophic in vitro model system was developed using agar-based medium to examine the migration of R. similis to either the susceptible ‘Grande Naine’ or the resistant ‘Yangambi km5’ (‘Ykm5’), when both the Musa genotypes were present at equal distance. The autotrophic in vitro model system was advantageous, because it supported continuous root growth due to the actively photosynthesising shoots growing in the open air, while the in vitro root conditions make it possible to observe and assess the nematode chemotaxis in the transparent medium. Significantly fewer nematodes migrated towards the resistant ‘Ykm5’ plants when compared to both the susceptible ‘Grande Naine’, and another resistant cultivar, ‘Saba’, at 1 h after infection. This signals a possibility of a lower concentration or different composition of nematode attractants in ‘Ykm5’ root exudates. No significant differences were observed in the percentage of R. similis that migrated towards the roots of the susceptible and resistant banana plants at 3, 4 and 6 h after inoculation. No significant differences were observed in the percentages of female penetration in the resistant and susceptible plant roots at 1 and 2 days after inoculation. The results of the two-compartment system confirmed that when a choice is given to migrate towards the resistant and susceptible genotypes, no differences were observed in the percentage of female migration towards both the genotypes.

Las mujeres rurales en Argentina. Análisis de datos censales

The rural population in Argentina is only 8.9% (CNA 2010). There are more men than women(45%) due to a greater proportion in migration from the rural areas. Female migration is linked tothe decrease in the total number of farms in the last 30 years and the disadvantaged situation ofwomen, especially the poorest ones. For women is more difficult to find a job in rural areas, evenwith a higher level of education than men. The division of labor in rural households remains rigid;women continue to be the main responsible for food security and they face difficulties inaccessing health services. Finally, women's work is underreported in rural in population census.It is necessary to modify the census ́ questionary to better cover gender issues.