Woman, mother, employee (or not) of migrant background and the obstacles they face in integration and labour.

Nelson Mandela said “to deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity”. The non-acceptance of diversity of any kind, whether relating to gender, origin or religion, continues to lead towards the rights’ violation of countless people worldwide. Deep-rooted societal prejudices, combined with narrow-minded approaches found in many countries, make it difficult to integrate and include people with cultural and other differences. In Greece specifically, it is often observed that the recognition of the rights of migrants, as well as their integration, proceeds at a rather slow pace and, combined with bureaucratic obstacles, this population is placed on the sidelines in many areas, such as the labour one. But where are women of migrant origin found in this process?

When a man is unable to have equitable opportunities at work because of his migrant background, we speak about racism. When a woman or a mother with a migrant profile does not have equitable opportunities for integration, both because of her gender and her migrant status, but also her family status, then we are talking about a “double whammy”; this creates difficulty in providing a clear-cut definition. The plight of these women leads us to the term intersectionality, developed by the civil rights advocate and pioneering scholar Kimberle Crenshaw. Intersectionality speaks precisely to this double discrimination, the “double whammy”, as the term was created to highlight the frequent prioritisation of white women in matters of gender discrimination, and black men, respectively, in matters of racial discrimination. As a result, women-mothers of migrant background face different obstacles, as they do not fit into a “well-defined category”, due to the different identities they carry. This usually leads to fewer job opportunities for women with a migrant profile.

Inclusion and acceptance of diversity is not a matter of choice. It is a necessary requirement for the evolution and development of a society and its systems, one of which is the labour market. Apart from the positive contribution they can bring to a country’s economy, women of immigrant origin can, also, enrich the work environment with their culture, way of thinking and diversity.

An inclusive environment depends upon action and commitment from everyone. Although this commitment is a challenge, it doesn’t mean it’s not our responsibility to embrace the essence of action, which is openness, empathy and respect for the different. Women who have made the arduous decision to immigrate to a seemingly better, virtually unknown environment, burdened by traumatic experiences in the majority of cases, speak of recognition, dignity, and financial independence. They wish to come out of the shell of invisible labour, so that they can have roles and merit in the labour market, and consequently in the society in which their children live and grow up.

This is exactly what we are aiming for through the project Worldplaces – Workplaces Working with Migrant Women, organising trainings and seminars for their empowerment and, at the same time, supporting companies and organisations in the creation of inclusion policies. The leadership of the corporate world, however, can create the framework for the protection of equal opportunities and invest in the promotion of inclusion. Until then, the question of integration and inclusion of women of migrant origin will remain pending.