This project investigates through a historical approach how migrants' home and host society contexts influence the labour integration of different groups of African migrant women in the Netherlands. In particular, we seek to explore how and why the socio-economic position of women of Ghanaian and Somali origin varies over time. Taking into account individual characteristics and human capital, this paper investigates how initial conditions (i.e., migrant and home context characteristics and integration policies upon arrival) affect ultimate integration outcomes.

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PhD

Yowali Kabamba

0000-0001-9759-8771

Utrecht University

Supervisor

Dr. Katharine Frederick

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Utrecht University

Supervisor

Prof. Elise van Nederveen Meerkerk

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Utrecht University

Supervisor

Dr. Liesbet Heyse

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Rijksuniversiteit Groningen

• Diversity and inclusion
• Gender equality
• Newcomer
• Sociology

• Economic and Social History
• Governmental policymakers
• Policy advisors
• Sociology

• Inclusion

• External Shocks
• Feedback Cycles

• Accommodating newcomers

Extensive research has been conducted on the labour market participation of traditional migrant populations in the Netherlands, but little is known about sub-Saharan African migrants (de Vroome & van Tubergen, 2010; Kontos, 2009; Ozasir Kacar & Essers, 2019). Sub-Saharan African migrant women are even less researched, although there is a growing recognition of the pivotal role gender plays in the field of integration studies (Sharpe, 2001). The most researched aspect of integration has been labour market participation, typically measured by a migrant’s employment status and income. The variations in labour market participation rate between different migrant groups and individuals have been heavily researched, and human capital theory is frequently mobilised in the literature to explain the socio-economic outcomes of migrants. Human capital is the educational, social, and economic experience of an individual at any given time, both gained prior to emigration and in the country of destination. In general, it is believed that higher educational levels and work experience lead to better employment outcomes (Confurius et al., 2019). Research also shows that economic conditions in the country of destination dramatically influence migrants’ labour participation. In addition, personal characteristics such as gender, age and one’s migration journey have been shown to influence labour market outcomes. More recent research argues that the ‘level of development’ of migrants’ country of origin will impact migrants’ labour participation in the host country. It has been argued this is due to the difficulty in transferring skills such as work experience and education systems to the host country, as they are less valuable to potential employers. Language has also been cited as a hindrance to successful labour participation. Migrants who already speak the language in the host country will have a higher chance of finding employment. Besides employment, education, access to nationality, and political participation have been identified as key indicators for the successful integration of migrants (Bilgili et al., 2015). These indicators are however outside of the scope of this research and will not be directly investigated.

The research project is divided into four subproject, or articles. The first sub-project looks at the disparities in labour participation between different African migrant groups. The research question examines how the labour market participation of African migrant groups evolved in the Netherlands and investigates whether there is a difference between predominantly labour migrants and refugees. We rely on longitudinal, quantitative data from CBS to analyse the employment rate of migrants between 1995-2022. The second sub-project goes deeper into the impact of cultural norms and reception contexts on the labour market participation rate of African migrant women and aims to determine whether there is a difference in the labour participation rate of non-Western Muslim and Christian women in the Netherlands, and if so, how it can this be explained. The third sub-project explores the economic integration of first and second generations of sub-Saharan African women in the Netherlands. The objective is to understand how integration policies have influenced the economic status of the first and second generations of sub-Saharan African migrant women, and whether higher human capital leads to higher economic status. Both second and third sub-projects will rely on qualitative research methods in the form of life story interviews conducted among Ghanaian and Somali migrants in the Netherlands. The fourth sub-project finally examines the impact of integration policy models on the economic integration of Somali migrant women. The research question investigates how different models of integration lead to similar or different economic outcomes for migrant women from Somalia by comparing their integration in the Netherlands and the UK. This will consist of a comparative analysis of labour integration models between the Netherlands and the UK.