Migration and Changing Gender Roles : Experiences of Turkish Migrants in Finland

Migrants may find themselves in a vulnerable position after migration due to the new social structure (e.g., labor market opportunities, language problems, migration legislation, or networks in the new country). Since they lose their power in the society at large, this change may also affect power relations in their families. As a result, gender roles at home may also change. While existing studies on migration focus on migrants' socio-economic integration into host societies, their family formation and gender roles at home are not well explored. Rather than attributing these roles solely to 'cultural' reasons, I attempt to find answers through an exploration of the immigration experiences. This study has the potential to fill a gap in the literature on migration and gender studies and to contribute to this field in Finland. In this qualitative study, I attempt to explore how Turkish married migrants experience their gender roles and power relations at home after migration. Through thematic analysis of six interviews with three male and three female Turkish migrants, I identified four themes: "status loss after migration," "status loss and willingness to move back," "loneliness after migration," and "rejection of traditional gender roles." One of the most important findings of the study is that those who moved to Finland through family reunification experience a strong sense of status loss, which lead to marital dissatisfaction or a desire to leave the country. Furthermore, labor market opportunities push Turkish women to more traditional roles, while language barriers and a lack of networks hinder their integration into the country. It is important to note that most of the participants reject traditional gender roles as an ideology. However, there are other factors that contribute to their adherence to these roles.

Grantor dc:publisher

Helsingin yliopisto

Year dc:date.issued

2023

Author dc:creator

• Akyazan, Abdurrahman

Contributors dc:contributor

• Helsingin yliopisto, Valtiotieteellinen tiedekunta
• University of Helsinki, Faculty of Social Sciences
• Helsingfors universitet, Statsvetenskapliga fakulteten

• Gender roles
• power relations
• gender
• migration
• Turkish migrants
• family
• Finland

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Identifier URI

URN:NBN:fi:hulib-202305292194

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:helda.helsinki.fi:10138/358394