Pub Date : 2026-01-14DOI: 10.1016/j.wsif.2026.103280
Timothy Chibuike Anyanwu
This study examines how colonised women in Eastern Nigeria resisted marginalisation after the 1929 Aba Women's War. Despite official crackdowns—including the outlawing of protests, suppression of gatherings, and sabotage of petitions—women persisted by using football venues to gather, draft, and deliver petitions directly to colonial authorities. Through singing songs and using deferential language, their actions resonated with the decolonial feminist concept of ‘gender performativity’, adhering to traditional gendered norms. Applying a bottom-up approach, this study draws from Michel de Certeau's ‘Tactics of the Weak’ to explore women's tactical actions at the lower rungs of colonial society, while also corroborating existing records in India, Australia, Uganda, and Kenya. Data were drawn from oral narratives and archival records, then analysed through thematic and open axial coding. Findings reveal the mutually beneficial use of football and petitions as gendered resistance tools, offering new insights into how global social practices aid advocacy.
本研究考察了1929年阿坝妇女战争后，东尼日利亚的殖民地妇女如何抵制边缘化。尽管官方采取了镇压措施——包括宣布抗议活动为非法，镇压集会，破坏请愿活动——妇女们仍然坚持使用足球场地来集会、起草请愿书，并直接向殖民当局递交请愿书。通过唱歌和使用恭敬的语言，她们的行为与“性别表演”的非殖民化女权主义概念产生共鸣，坚持传统的性别规范。本研究采用自下而上的方法，借鉴Michel de Certeau的《弱者的策略》（Tactics of the Weak），探索殖民社会底层女性的策略行动，同时也证实了印度、澳大利亚、乌干达和肯尼亚的现有记录。从口头叙述和档案记录中提取数据，然后通过主题和开放轴向编码进行分析。研究结果揭示了足球和请愿作为性别抵抗工具的互利利用，为全球社会实践如何促进倡导提供了新的见解。
{"title":"‘Signing letters and scoring goals’: Women's strategic resistance through petitions and football in Colonial Eastern Nigeria, 1929–1960","authors":"Timothy Chibuike Anyanwu","doi":"10.1016/j.wsif.2026.103280","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wsif.2026.103280","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study examines how colonised women in Eastern Nigeria resisted marginalisation after the 1929 Aba Women's War. Despite official crackdowns—including the outlawing of protests, suppression of gatherings, and sabotage of petitions—women persisted by using football venues to gather, draft, and deliver petitions directly to colonial authorities. Through singing songs and using deferential language, their actions resonated with the decolonial feminist concept of ‘gender performativity’, adhering to traditional gendered norms. Applying a bottom-up approach, this study draws from Michel de Certeau's ‘Tactics of the Weak’ to explore women's tactical actions at the lower rungs of colonial society, while also corroborating existing records in India, Australia, Uganda, and Kenya. Data were drawn from oral narratives and archival records, then analysed through thematic and open axial coding. Findings reveal the mutually beneficial use of football and petitions as gendered resistance tools, offering new insights into how global social practices aid advocacy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47940,"journal":{"name":"Womens Studies International Forum","volume":"115 ","pages":"Article 103280"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145977125","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-12DOI: 10.1016/j.wsif.2025.103277
Jinyu Sun
The tensions between liberalism and feminism have been widely investigated in liberal democracies, but not in authoritarian contexts. This article examines the relationship between feminists and liberals in post-socialist China after 2000, highlighting that state power complicates this relationship. By analyzing public debates on gender issues, feminist activism, liberal commentaries, and the state's ideological campaigns, I show the mutual mistrust, hostility, and ideological distancing between Chinese liberals and feminists, that undermines their shared commitment to individual freedom, social equality, and human rights. By challenging the view that Chinese liberals cause estrangement, this article argues that state power shapes the strategies of both camps and undermines their potential for forming alliances against authoritarianism. This analysis highlights the tensions, misunderstandings, and objections between Chinese feminists and liberals, and sheds light on the unique challenges feminist movements face in a non-western and non-democratic context, thereby enriching scholarship on feminism and feminist movements in the Global South.
{"title":"Potential alliance or actual estrangement: The struggles of Chinese feminists","authors":"Jinyu Sun","doi":"10.1016/j.wsif.2025.103277","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wsif.2025.103277","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The tensions between liberalism and feminism have been widely investigated in liberal democracies, but not in authoritarian contexts. This article examines the relationship between feminists and liberals in post-socialist China after 2000, highlighting that state power complicates this relationship. By analyzing public debates on gender issues, feminist activism, liberal commentaries, and the state's ideological campaigns, I show the mutual mistrust, hostility, and ideological distancing between Chinese liberals and feminists, that undermines their shared commitment to individual freedom, social equality, and human rights. By challenging the view that Chinese liberals cause estrangement, this article argues that state power shapes the strategies of both camps and undermines their potential for forming alliances against authoritarianism. This analysis highlights the tensions, misunderstandings, and objections between Chinese feminists and liberals, and sheds light on the unique challenges feminist movements face in a non-western and non-democratic context, thereby enriching scholarship on feminism and feminist movements in the Global South.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47940,"journal":{"name":"Womens Studies International Forum","volume":"115 ","pages":"Article 103277"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-01-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145977126","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-08DOI: 10.1016/j.wsif.2026.103278
Mohmad Maqbool Waggy, Bismah Yousuf
The ongoing struggle against inequality, prejudice, and ineffective legal strategies to tackle the unjust actions linked to sexual orientation and gender identity causes serious human rights infringements that resonate with those who identify themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) globally. Although these individuals encounter shared difficulties worldwide, their experiences in the Kashmir region of India are influenced by the confluence of caste, economic status, religious ideologies, and various other societal determinants. These intersecting factors engender a multifaceted array of challenges that profoundly impact their identities and lived realities. This study investigates the intricate adversities and discrimination experienced by transgender individuals in Kashmir, emphasizing the societal frameworks that sustain their marginalization and examining the wider implications for human rights within the region.
{"title":"Unseen and unheard: The struggles of transgender individuals in Kashmir's social landscape","authors":"Mohmad Maqbool Waggy, Bismah Yousuf","doi":"10.1016/j.wsif.2026.103278","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wsif.2026.103278","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The ongoing struggle against inequality, prejudice, and ineffective legal strategies to tackle the unjust actions linked to sexual orientation and gender identity causes serious human rights infringements that resonate with those who identify themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) globally. Although these individuals encounter shared difficulties worldwide, their experiences in the Kashmir region of India are influenced by the confluence of caste, economic status, religious ideologies, and various other societal determinants. These intersecting factors engender a multifaceted array of challenges that profoundly impact their identities and lived realities. This study investigates the intricate adversities and discrimination experienced by transgender individuals in Kashmir, emphasizing the societal frameworks that sustain their marginalization and examining the wider implications for human rights within the region.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47940,"journal":{"name":"Womens Studies International Forum","volume":"115 ","pages":"Article 103278"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-01-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145925038","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-23DOI: 10.1016/j.wsif.2025.103272
Gülşah Selin Tümkaya
This research examines the multilevel factors affecting the labor force participation of women who were forcibly displaced to Türkiye following the conflict in Syria, within the framework of inclusion and the intersection of gender. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 Syrian refugee women living in Adana and 5 employers in a phenomenological design; the data were evaluated using qualitative content analysis. The findings indicate that the main barriers are language deficiency, low education, and lack of experience at the individual level; precarity, low wages, and lack of information regarding legal rights at the organizational level; and discrimination, social prejudice, and legal limitations at the national level. Among the facilitators, language proficiency and education, volunteerism and motivation; workplace opportunities and some positive discrimination practices; cultural proximity, and institution/NGO support stand out. Workplace inclusion generally remains superficial; women experience a double disadvantage due to their refugee status and gender. The findings emphasize the importance of multilevel and rights-based inclusive employment policies.
{"title":"Barriers and facilitators to refugee women's employment and the views of employers and refugee women on workplace inclusion","authors":"Gülşah Selin Tümkaya","doi":"10.1016/j.wsif.2025.103272","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wsif.2025.103272","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This research examines the multilevel factors affecting the labor force participation of women who were forcibly displaced to Türkiye following the conflict in Syria, within the framework of inclusion and the intersection of gender. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 Syrian refugee women living in Adana and 5 employers in a phenomenological design; the data were evaluated using qualitative content analysis. The findings indicate that the main barriers are language deficiency, low education, and lack of experience at the individual level; precarity, low wages, and lack of information regarding legal rights at the organizational level; and discrimination, social prejudice, and legal limitations at the national level. Among the facilitators, language proficiency and education, volunteerism and motivation; workplace opportunities and some positive discrimination practices; cultural proximity, and institution/NGO support stand out. Workplace inclusion generally remains superficial; women experience a double disadvantage due to their refugee status and gender. The findings emphasize the importance of multilevel and rights-based inclusive employment policies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47940,"journal":{"name":"Womens Studies International Forum","volume":"115 ","pages":"Article 103272"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145839841","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-23DOI: 10.1016/j.wsif.2025.103269
Md Akidul Hoque , Md Samiul Azim , Farida Parvin
Understanding how democratic backsliding reshapes women's political representation is central to comparative politics and feminist institutionalism(s) soliciting urgent societal implications for equality, rights, and democratic resilience. This article investigates whether and how autocratizing regimes constrain, co-opt, or unexpectedly expand women's formal political presence and substantive agency. Focusing on India, Hungary, and Turkey, the study traces divergent “gendered pathways” through which democratic erosion intersects with quotas, party strategies, and gendered discourses. Its objectives are threefold: (1) to map longitudinal changes in descriptive representation; (2) to assess substantive policy influence and discursive framing of gender; and finally, (3) to theorize mechanisms – co-optation, quota-driven pathway, and normative redefinition – that mediate outcomes. Employing a mixed-methods design on contemporary political scenario spanning from 2010 to 2024, the research integrates time-series analysis of electoral and institutional data with systematic discourse analysis of party manifestos, speeches, and legislative debates. The comparative analysis produces a typology – quota-driven, coalition-mediated, and ideologically authoritarian pathways –and demonstrates that numeric gains can mask substantive retrenchment. By disentangling symbolic from substantive representation, the paper advances theory on gender and autocratization offering targeted policy prescriptions to safeguard genuine political inclusion.
{"title":"Gendered pathways of power: Women's political representation amid democratic backsliding in India, Hungary and Turkey","authors":"Md Akidul Hoque , Md Samiul Azim , Farida Parvin","doi":"10.1016/j.wsif.2025.103269","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wsif.2025.103269","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding how democratic backsliding reshapes women's political representation is central to comparative politics and feminist institutionalism(s) soliciting urgent societal implications for equality, rights, and democratic resilience. This article investigates whether and how autocratizing regimes constrain, co-opt, or unexpectedly expand women's formal political presence and substantive agency. Focusing on India, Hungary, and Turkey, the study traces divergent “gendered pathways” through which democratic erosion intersects with quotas, party strategies, and gendered discourses. Its objectives are threefold: (1) to map longitudinal changes in descriptive representation; (2) to assess substantive policy influence and discursive framing of gender; and finally, (3) to theorize mechanisms – co-optation, quota-driven pathway, and normative redefinition – that mediate outcomes. Employing a mixed-methods design on contemporary political scenario spanning from 2010 to 2024, the research integrates time-series analysis of electoral and institutional data with systematic discourse analysis of party manifestos, speeches, and legislative debates. The comparative analysis produces a typology – quota-driven, coalition-mediated, and ideologically authoritarian pathways –and demonstrates that numeric gains can mask substantive retrenchment. By disentangling symbolic from substantive representation, the paper advances theory on gender and autocratization offering targeted policy prescriptions to safeguard genuine political inclusion.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47940,"journal":{"name":"Womens Studies International Forum","volume":"115 ","pages":"Article 103269"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145839873","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-22DOI: 10.1016/j.wsif.2025.103271
Elif Gençtürk Erdem , Adnan Boyacı , Berrin Genç Ersoy
Through an intersectional feminist perspective, this study illuminates the lived experiences of immigrant women in Turkey, examining how they navigate and negotiate structural inequalities through their parenting practices after migration. Extracurricular activities serve as a lens to examine parenting practices and strategies, uncovering the emotional, financial, and cultural aspects of maternal labor. This study employs a qualitative, interpretive methodology and uses purposive sampling with maximum variation to select participants. Interviews were conducted with twelve immigrant women from diverse national backgrounds. Extracurricular activities emerged as a focal point where neoliberal pressures, patriarchal expectations, and migration insecurities converge, compelling immigrant women to perform parenting styles aligned with the ideals of intensive mothering and concerted cultivation. Women's narratives highlighted institutional, socioeconomic, cultural, and normative constraints they faced through their children's extracurricular activities. Despite intersecting structural inequalities, immigrant women exercised agency in addressing aspirations for their children's social mobility, identity preservation, and cultural adaptation. Immigrant women's efforts for social and economic empowerment also illustrated that motherhood encompassed more than merely providing emotional support in the post-migration context. This study provides insights into how women's agency can mitigate the effects of systemic barriers, thereby shaping their children's educational trajectories.
{"title":"Women's agency and parenting practices in migration context: Navigating aspirations and constraints","authors":"Elif Gençtürk Erdem , Adnan Boyacı , Berrin Genç Ersoy","doi":"10.1016/j.wsif.2025.103271","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wsif.2025.103271","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Through an intersectional feminist perspective, this study illuminates the lived experiences of immigrant women in Turkey, examining how they navigate and negotiate structural inequalities through their parenting practices after migration. Extracurricular activities serve as a lens to examine parenting practices and strategies, uncovering the emotional, financial, and cultural aspects of maternal labor. This study employs a qualitative, interpretive methodology and uses purposive sampling with maximum variation to select participants. Interviews were conducted with twelve immigrant women from diverse national backgrounds. Extracurricular activities emerged as a focal point where neoliberal pressures, patriarchal expectations, and migration insecurities converge, compelling immigrant women to perform parenting styles aligned with the ideals of intensive mothering and concerted cultivation. Women's narratives highlighted institutional, socioeconomic, cultural, and normative constraints they faced through their children's extracurricular activities. Despite intersecting structural inequalities, immigrant women exercised agency in addressing aspirations for their children's social mobility, identity preservation, and cultural adaptation. Immigrant women's efforts for social and economic empowerment also illustrated that motherhood encompassed more than merely providing emotional support in the post-migration context. This study provides insights into how women's agency can mitigate the effects of systemic barriers, thereby shaping their children's educational trajectories.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47940,"journal":{"name":"Womens Studies International Forum","volume":"115 ","pages":"Article 103271"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145839842","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-19DOI: 10.1016/j.wsif.2025.103273
Abdulrahman Alomair , Umar Farooq , Abdulateif A. Almulhim , Zokir Mamadiyarov
Despite increasing efforts to promote female entrepreneurship globally, the pace of progress across ASEAN economies remains uneven. In literature, the influence of deep-rooted cultural norms and societal values is less frequently explored. This study aims to examine the role of national cultural dimensions in influencing female entrepreneurship. Utilizing panel data from selected ASEAN countries spanning 2000 to 2024, the study employs a robust empirical strategy incorporating fixed effects, two-stage least squares (2SLS), and the two-step system GMM. These methods help address issues of endogeneity, omitted variable bias, and unobserved heterogeneity to ensure the credibility of the results. The analysis reveals that power distance negatively impacts women's entrepreneurial participation by reinforcing hierarchical barriers and restricting access to networks and knowledge. Similarly, high uncertainty avoidance dampens entrepreneurial activity by amplifying fear of failure and discouraging risk-taking. In contrast, individualism, long-term orientation, and indulgence show positive associations with female entrepreneurship, as these values support independence, planning, resilience, and informal social support. The findings underscore the importance of culturally informed policy design. Governments and development agencies should implement strategies that challenge hierarchical norms, encourage individual initiative, promote long-term strategic thinking, and foster open, supportive ecosystems for women entrepreneurs. This study makes a significant contribution by integrating social role theory with extensive empirical analysis across culturally diverse ASEAN nations over 24 years. It moves beyond structural explanations to highlight the often-overlooked cultural underpinnings of female entrepreneurship, providing actionable insights for inclusive development.
{"title":"Do cultural values matter? The role of national cultural dimensions in shaping female entrepreneurship in ASEAN","authors":"Abdulrahman Alomair , Umar Farooq , Abdulateif A. Almulhim , Zokir Mamadiyarov","doi":"10.1016/j.wsif.2025.103273","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wsif.2025.103273","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Despite increasing efforts to promote female entrepreneurship globally, the pace of progress across ASEAN economies remains uneven. In literature, the influence of deep-rooted cultural norms and societal values is less frequently explored. This study aims to examine the role of national cultural dimensions in influencing female entrepreneurship. Utilizing panel data from selected ASEAN countries spanning 2000 to 2024, the study employs a robust empirical strategy incorporating fixed effects, two-stage least squares (2SLS), and the two-step system GMM. These methods help address issues of endogeneity, omitted variable bias, and unobserved heterogeneity to ensure the credibility of the results. The analysis reveals that power distance negatively impacts women's entrepreneurial participation by reinforcing hierarchical barriers and restricting access to networks and knowledge. Similarly, high uncertainty avoidance dampens entrepreneurial activity by amplifying fear of failure and discouraging risk-taking. In contrast, individualism, long-term orientation, and indulgence show positive associations with female entrepreneurship, as these values support independence, planning, resilience, and informal social support. The findings underscore the importance of culturally informed policy design. Governments and development agencies should implement strategies that challenge hierarchical norms, encourage individual initiative, promote long-term strategic thinking, and foster open, supportive ecosystems for women entrepreneurs. This study makes a significant contribution by integrating social role theory with extensive empirical analysis across culturally diverse ASEAN nations over 24 years. It moves beyond structural explanations to highlight the often-overlooked cultural underpinnings of female entrepreneurship, providing actionable insights for inclusive development.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47940,"journal":{"name":"Womens Studies International Forum","volume":"115 ","pages":"Article 103273"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145790477","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-18DOI: 10.1016/j.wsif.2025.103236
Valeria V. Kim , John Vong
This study explores how single mothers in Moscow experience personal growth amid societal uncertainty, internal and external conflict, and shifting cultural norms. Through 19 in-depth, one-on-one interviews totaling 69 h, the research investigates how women navigate single motherhood to achieve self-development and personal satisfaction.
Using thematic text mining and qualitative analysis, the findings reveal that personal growth is closely tied to decisive action, a positive mindset, and access to stable income, career opportunities, and family support. Respondents demonstrated increased resilience, emotional maturity, and a redefinition of personal values, often reporting enhanced self-awareness, improved relationships, and deeper appreciation of life.
By shedding light on the strengths and transformative potential of single mothers, this study contributes to a more balanced understanding of lone motherhood. It suggests that targeted educational and social support programs can facilitate post-traumatic growth and better equip single mothers to manage challenges during times of crisis and instability.
{"title":"Finding personal growth in single motherhood in Moscow in uncertain times","authors":"Valeria V. Kim , John Vong","doi":"10.1016/j.wsif.2025.103236","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wsif.2025.103236","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study explores how single mothers in Moscow experience personal growth amid societal uncertainty, internal and external conflict, and shifting cultural norms. Through 19 in-depth, one-on-one interviews totaling 69 h, the research investigates how women navigate single motherhood to achieve self-development and personal satisfaction.</div><div>Using thematic text mining and qualitative analysis, the findings reveal that personal growth is closely tied to decisive action, a positive mindset, and access to stable income, career opportunities, and family support. Respondents demonstrated increased resilience, emotional maturity, and a redefinition of personal values, often reporting enhanced self-awareness, improved relationships, and deeper appreciation of life.</div><div>By shedding light on the strengths and transformative potential of single mothers, this study contributes to a more balanced understanding of lone motherhood. It suggests that targeted educational and social support programs can facilitate post-traumatic growth and better equip single mothers to manage challenges during times of crisis and instability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47940,"journal":{"name":"Womens Studies International Forum","volume":"115 ","pages":"Article 103236"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145790476","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-11DOI: 10.1016/j.wsif.2025.103267
Azmira Bilkis , Mili Saha
This article examines the socio-economic, psychological, and cultural dimensions of involuntary return and reintegration of Bangladeshi women migrants from Saudi Arabia. Conducted in two villages of Narsingdi district, the study employed a qualitative research design using semi-structured interviews with 25 returnees and focus group discussions with 12 returned women migrants and 12 family members, selected through purposive and snowball sampling. A thematic analysis, guided by a gendered lens on migration and reintegration, revealed that women migrants endured harsh and exploitative working conditions abroad, leading to forced return. Back in Bangladesh, they faced social stigma, financial insecurity, and psychological trauma, with little or no reintegration support. The findings reveal that involuntary returnees often belong to disadvantaged groups and confront severe vulnerabilities. The study highlights the need for targeted, rights-based, and gender-sensitive reintegration programs to restore their social and economic dignity.
{"title":"Understanding involuntary return of Bangladeshi women migrants from Saudi Arabia: A qualitative study","authors":"Azmira Bilkis , Mili Saha","doi":"10.1016/j.wsif.2025.103267","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.wsif.2025.103267","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This article examines the socio-economic, psychological, and cultural dimensions of involuntary return and reintegration of Bangladeshi women migrants from Saudi Arabia. Conducted in two villages of Narsingdi district, the study employed a qualitative research design using semi-structured interviews with 25 returnees and focus group discussions with 12 returned women migrants and 12 family members, selected through purposive and snowball sampling. A thematic analysis, guided by a gendered lens on migration and reintegration, revealed that women migrants endured harsh and exploitative working conditions abroad, leading to forced return. Back in Bangladesh, they faced social stigma, financial insecurity, and psychological trauma, with little or no reintegration support. The findings reveal that involuntary returnees often belong to disadvantaged groups and confront severe vulnerabilities. The study highlights the need for targeted, rights-based, and gender-sensitive reintegration programs to restore their social and economic dignity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47940,"journal":{"name":"Womens Studies International Forum","volume":"115 ","pages":"Article 103267"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-12-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145737186","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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