This study examines the labour integration of Somali migrants in Belgium and the Netherlands, focusing on gender disparities and the impact of reception contexts. The research highlights the distinct challenges faced by Somali women due to intersecting disadvantages of gender and immigrant status. Gendered narratives and cultural biases impede Somali women’s labour participation. Policies often focus on their cultural assimilation while overlooking structural barriers in the labour market. The study underscores the need to address systemic inequalities and expand research on intersectionality in labour integration, particularly for vulnerable migrant groups like Somali women. By comparing two reception contexts, this work contributes to understanding how institutional frameworks and community support influence migrant labour outcomes in Europe.

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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

Integration is also a contested concept, loosely defined and frequently used to describe different processes. At its core, integration relates to the inclusion of people (i.e. migrants) into different sectors of society (Favell, 2021). Previous literature has identified three key dimensions for all integration policies: (1) basic rights such as access to work and education, (2) equal opportunities with natives, and (3) a secure future, as in the ability of migrants to permanently settle in the country (Solano & Huddleston, 2020). The most researched aspect of integration has been labour market participation, typically measured by a migrant’s employment status and income. Numerous variables have however been identified as influencing the likelihood of migrants’ sustainable employment, explaining the significant variations in labour market participation rates between different migrant groups and individuals, particularly between economic migrants and refugees, as well as between genders . The theory of human capital theory, understood as the educational, social, and economic experience of an individual at any given time, both gained prior to emigration and in the country of destination, is frequently mobilised in the literature to explain these variations. In general, it is believed that higher educational levels and work experience (i.e. higher human capital) lead to better employment outcomes (Confurius et al., 2019). However, further research shows that the institutional context of a country also influences migrants’ labour participation. Typically, reception context theorists argue that a migrant’s likelihood of successfully integrating into a new society will depend on the political climate, the labour market and the composition of their ethnic enclave in the host country (Manning, 2012). It has also been argued that cyclical influences strongly influence unemployment among migrants. Migrants are generally affected earlier than natives by a declining economy and benefit from economic recovery later. In addition, economic restructuring has been of great significance for the unfavourable labour market position of many migrants (Kamerstuk 28689 nr. 11, 2004), and the presence of racism and systematic discrimination in the labour market has also become a growing concern, although it remains less studied (Bloch, 2008). This research aims to enhance existing theoretical frameworks by examining how differing institutional reception contexts have shaped integration outcomes for non-Western migrant women. As Manning (2012) argues, reception context is defined as the combination of social, political, economic, and historical factors in a host country that shape the experiences and integration outcomes of migrants. These contexts include the policies of governments and institutions toward immigration, the state of the labour market and the composition of migrant communities.

The research project is divided into four subprojects, or articles. 1. Comparative Integration Policies and Structural Barriers: The Socioeconomic Outcomes of Refugee Women in Belgium and the Netherlands 2. Somali Migration to Western Europe: Refugee Agency 3. Opportunities and Barriers to Somali Labour Inclusion 4. Gendered Migration Goals: Children's Education and Emancipation