Contextualizing Gender and Migration: Galician Immigration to Switzerland

Abstract

Focusing on two main aspects of the Spanish-Galician migration experience, this article attempts to analyze how migrants' actions and discourses are shaped by notions of gender. First, the discourse of returning will question notions of family and how differently men and women define their positions as members of a family. While men seem to link their social identity to immovable goods of prestige back in Galicia, women are able to redefine their social identity as they base it on social relations. The second aspect deals with the fact that cleaning is defined as women's work, but at the same time it is -under certain conditions -performed by men.Since the 1370s feminist migration research has evolved from the subject of the trade in women to women's migration, as Elisabeth Aufhauser (2000) states in her overview article. While some research focuses on symmetries between male and female migration -for instance women's networks as a parallel to the networks of male emigrants and kin -others highlight the specificity of female migration -for instance the emancipatory aspect of migration or the topic of sex-workers. In a first phase of any gender-sensitive science, the task of reinstating women prevails. Therefore most of the early studies in feminist migration research follow a 'compensatory' approach (Prodolliet, 1999:28). Primarily, women are written back into migration history; their part and actions in the migratory process need to be documented. This leads to studies giving a more general overview on female migration (Phizaklea, 1983;Morokvasic, 1984; Chant, 1992). In a second phase, the female standpoint is applied to analyze specific female aspects of migration. For instance, the different articles in the volume edited by Rita Simon and Caroline Brettell (1986) explore the female experience following a 'contributive' (Prodolliet, 1999:29) approach. Gender therefore becomes a 0 2004 by the Center for Migration Studies of New York. All rights reserved.

Beginning Again

“…As previously highlighted, most of the women migrated to reunite with their husbands, suggesting that they might not be fully prepared for or desirous of migration, thereby affecting their settlement experience in Australia. This is consistent with the finding of previous literature that lack of preparedness affects women's experience in their new country (Richter, 2004;Sinke, 2006).…”

Transnational Aging

“…In line with previous studies (Bolzman et al, 2001;Itzigsohn & GiorguliSaucedo, 2005;Mahler & Pessar, 2006;Pessar, 1999;Richter, 2004), the position of women and children was strengthened by their migration experience, as did their coalition against a definitive return: while most male migrants persistently long to return after retirement as a way to regain status (Itzigsohn et al, 1999), their wife and children want to stay in the host country as a way to protect their social and economic achievements (e.g. freedom of movement, staying close to their children and grandchildren, better working conditions) and because of expected unfavorable (economic) prospects and problems with integration in their ancestral countries.…”

Influence of Migration in Women Emancipation - Case Study from Kosovan Albanian Diaspora

“…The expectations related to women are that their position in society will change because the host societies offer wider (and presumably better) set of social opportunities compared to origin societies (Jolly and Reeves, 2005; Amadan-Unat, 1977). Host societies offer migrant women many ways to challenge, transform and negotiate traditional understanding of womanhood, women's work and identities (Dune, 2013;Richter, 2004). They have greater chances to participate in labour market or public life, which helps them on creating a new identity (Richter, 2004) and having influence in decision-making processes (Amdan-Unat, 1977).…”

“…Host societies offer migrant women many ways to challenge, transform and negotiate traditional understanding of womanhood, women's work and identities (Dune, 2013;Richter, 2004). They have greater chances to participate in labour market or public life, which helps them on creating a new identity (Richter, 2004) and having influence in decision-making processes (Amdan-Unat, 1977).…”