Social Status of Internal Migrant Women in Durres, Albania

Abstract

Nowadays internal migration is a well-known phenomenon not only for the impact the migrants have on the new community but also for the difficulties internal migrants face to adapt to their new location. The migratory movement does not only mean a physical movement to the city but a change in the way of living resulting in a value system change which is not immediate. Migration is a process where the opportunities and results are different for men and women; that is why we ask the following question: how does the internal migration affect the life and the social status of women? The focus of this article is the perception of migrants on the social status of the migrant women and the influence of their employment on that perception. Albania is developing dynamically as expressed in the social roles of women, gender aspects and in other areas. Gender relations are a focus of strategies which aim to establish gender equality in public life, equal position between men and women, and equal opportunities in all areas of social life. A challenge of Albanian society is women's status in it because of the already evident and sometimes legitimized inferior position they hold. The mentality and labor gender division affect the social roles of migrant women. This article seeks to understand the social status of migrant women and the impact of the internal migration on such status by analyzing different variables such as employment, education, social expectation, social roles etc.

Internal Migration and Social Identity Construction: Implications for Prejudice and Stigma in Albanian Post-socialist Society

“…Socio-economic, educational and cultural differences between existing city population and the newcomers became evident. They were the main cause of tension and poor social cohesion (UNDP, 2000;Ndreka, 2014). The newcomers were not always welcomed by the existing city inhabitants.…”

“…Even though they were more deprived in the city than in their village of origin, they followed strict patterns of rural lifestyle. Their primary role was focused on family chores and child upbringing (Ndreka, 2014). Thus, they categorised themselves as rural women and identified themselves as members of this group.…”