The Gender-Related Lifestyle Changes and Choices of Female White-Collar Migrants from Ukraine, Belarus and Russia in Poland
This article looks at the mobility of highly skilled female migrants from the perspective of the post-socialist semi-peripheral countries in Eastern Europe. It analyses chosen aspects of the biographical experiences of highly skilled women from three post-USSR republics bordering the European Union...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Centre of Migration Research, University of Warsaw, and Polish Academy of Sciences
2019-12-01
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| Series: | Central and Eastern European Migration Review |
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| Online Access: | http://ceemr.uw.edu.pl/sites/default/files/Dolinska_Gender-Related_Lifestyle_Changes.pdf |
| _version_ | 1811281978630078464 |
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| author | Anna Dolińska |
| author_facet | Anna Dolińska |
| author_sort | Anna Dolińska |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article looks at the mobility of highly skilled female migrants from the perspective of the post-socialist semi-peripheral countries in Eastern Europe. It analyses chosen aspects of the biographical experiences of highly skilled women from three post-USSR republics bordering the European Union – namely Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia – in Poland, a post-socialist country itself but also an EU member-state. The empirical analysis focuses on their lifestyle changes and choices, made through the experience of living in a new, though quite familiar Polish culture, which is both more emancipated (Western) while, at the same time, pertaining to some of the familiar (Eastern) patterns. Due to this liminal nature of the host country, the adaptation process of migrants is easier and comes at a lower biographical cost. In the analysis, I explore two notions: the gender roles renegotiation and the changes in the women’s approach towards the external manifestations of femininity, which I contrast with their reflections of the changes undergone. As for the gender role renegotiation, three main approaches were described varying by the degree to which the old, familiar patterns are maintained. In terms of the external notions of femininity, while taking care of one’s looks is still an observable element of the migrants’ identity, they do take advantage of the wider spectrum of options available in the host society, and try to blend in with the casual big-city crowd. The article was written on the basis of empirical material in the form of twenty in-depth, unstructured interviews, which were confronted with the selected subject literature. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T01:44:32Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b52c51757832496fb55361cea39fe580 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2300-1682 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T01:44:32Z |
| publishDate | 2019-12-01 |
| publisher | Centre of Migration Research, University of Warsaw, and Polish Academy of Sciences |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Central and Eastern European Migration Review |
| spelling | doaj.art-b52c51757832496fb55361cea39fe5802022-12-22T03:08:06ZengCentre of Migration Research, University of Warsaw, and Polish Academy of SciencesCentral and Eastern European Migration Review2300-16822019-12-018212314410.17467/ceemr.2019.08The Gender-Related Lifestyle Changes and Choices of Female White-Collar Migrants from Ukraine, Belarus and Russia in PolandAnna DolińskaThis article looks at the mobility of highly skilled female migrants from the perspective of the post-socialist semi-peripheral countries in Eastern Europe. It analyses chosen aspects of the biographical experiences of highly skilled women from three post-USSR republics bordering the European Union – namely Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia – in Poland, a post-socialist country itself but also an EU member-state. The empirical analysis focuses on their lifestyle changes and choices, made through the experience of living in a new, though quite familiar Polish culture, which is both more emancipated (Western) while, at the same time, pertaining to some of the familiar (Eastern) patterns. Due to this liminal nature of the host country, the adaptation process of migrants is easier and comes at a lower biographical cost. In the analysis, I explore two notions: the gender roles renegotiation and the changes in the women’s approach towards the external manifestations of femininity, which I contrast with their reflections of the changes undergone. As for the gender role renegotiation, three main approaches were described varying by the degree to which the old, familiar patterns are maintained. In terms of the external notions of femininity, while taking care of one’s looks is still an observable element of the migrants’ identity, they do take advantage of the wider spectrum of options available in the host society, and try to blend in with the casual big-city crowd. The article was written on the basis of empirical material in the form of twenty in-depth, unstructured interviews, which were confronted with the selected subject literature.http://ceemr.uw.edu.pl/sites/default/files/Dolinska_Gender-Related_Lifestyle_Changes.pdffemale migrantsukrainiansbelarusiansrussianspolandgender roles |
| spellingShingle | Anna Dolińska The Gender-Related Lifestyle Changes and Choices of Female White-Collar Migrants from Ukraine, Belarus and Russia in Poland Central and Eastern European Migration Review female migrants ukrainians belarusians russians poland gender roles |
| title | The Gender-Related Lifestyle Changes and Choices of Female White-Collar Migrants from Ukraine, Belarus and Russia in Poland |
| title_full | The Gender-Related Lifestyle Changes and Choices of Female White-Collar Migrants from Ukraine, Belarus and Russia in Poland |
| title_fullStr | The Gender-Related Lifestyle Changes and Choices of Female White-Collar Migrants from Ukraine, Belarus and Russia in Poland |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Gender-Related Lifestyle Changes and Choices of Female White-Collar Migrants from Ukraine, Belarus and Russia in Poland |
| title_short | The Gender-Related Lifestyle Changes and Choices of Female White-Collar Migrants from Ukraine, Belarus and Russia in Poland |
| title_sort | gender related lifestyle changes and choices of female white collar migrants from ukraine belarus and russia in poland |
| topic | female migrants ukrainians belarusians russians poland gender roles |
| url | http://ceemr.uw.edu.pl/sites/default/files/Dolinska_Gender-Related_Lifestyle_Changes.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT annadolinska thegenderrelatedlifestylechangesandchoicesoffemalewhitecollarmigrantsfromukrainebelarusandrussiainpoland AT annadolinska genderrelatedlifestylechangesandchoicesoffemalewhitecollarmigrantsfromukrainebelarusandrussiainpoland |