Gender and migratory paths in a time of crisis

Abstract

Economic crisis drives deep changes in the living conditions of people, in the perception of social problems and in the strategies to solve them. In this scenario, all these phenomena impact on migratory processes, changing not only the host society’s view on migration but also the valuation of survival strategies of male and female migrants.

From the point of view of the host society, the most significant changes involve an increase in xenophobic and/or racist views which target the frustration and anger resulting from cutbacks in social services and rising unemployment rates at the immigrant population.

This situation is met with the silence or complicity of key political sectors as well as the mass media. Although there have been attempts in recent years to combat racism and adopt legislation to protect female immigrants suffering from sexist violence, they have been largely unsuccessful. Moreover, a biased view of migration, particularly female migration, continues to prevail.

From the viewpoint of migrant families, migratory projects are being redesigned in a multifaceted way in which the roles of each member of the group are redefined. These phenomena point to an important change in the scenario analysed, thus suggesting the need to conduct new research or update existing research in order to provide a theoretical foundation for the necessary policy changes in this area.