Suchergebnisse

The ongoing Irish peace process has renewed interest in the current social and political problems of Northern Ireland. In bringing together the issues of gender and inequality, Women Divided, a title in the International Studies of Women and Place series, offers new perspectives on women''s rights and contemporary political issues. Women Divided argues that religious and political sectarianism in Northern Ireland has subordinated women. A historical review is followed by an analysis of the contemporary scene-- state, market (particularly employment patterns), family and church--and the role o

This article focuses on recent policy in relation to asylum which has created a new social category of asylum seeker, increasingly portrayed as 'undeserving' in contrast to the 'deserving' refugee. Asylum policy in Britain is preoccupied with control, with no national system for the settlement of refugees. The new social support system for asylum seekers, particularly the voucher system and compulsory dispersal, serve to isolate them from society and promote intense social exclusion. Policies to promote the social inclusion of recognized refugees are limited, uneven and dependent on voluntary initiative. They are also harmed by the punitive system of social support for asylum seekers. Acute recent labour shortages, which have forced employers to recruit overseas, have opened up the debate on immigration, and present the possibility of developing a more progressive agenda based on a commitment to human rights.

AbstractPoland's accession to the European Union in May 2004 brought many new possibilities and opportunities for Polish migrants to the United Kingdom. However, the focus on individual migrants has underestimated the complex roles of families in migration strategies and decision making. This paper brings together data from two studies of Polish migrants in London. In 2006–2007, we carried out a qualitative study, Recent Polish Migrants in London. That research examined how families may be reconfigured in different ways through migration, for example, transnational networks and splits within families. While the study participants represented varied examples of family reunification, they also revealed the complex decision making processes about leaving, staying, rejoining and returning. In our most recent study, Polish Children in London Primary Schools, we interviewed parents, who had migrated with children, about their experiences and expectations of London schools. This study revealed that the age of children was usually a factor in family migration decision making. There was a common expectation that younger children could easily adapt to a new school and learn English quickly. Drawing on the findings of these two studies, this paper will explore firstly, the variety of family migration strategies and secondly, the factors that inform migrants' decisions to bring their families (especially children) or to leave them back home. Finally, the paper concludes by considering some of the policy implications of our findings.

The feminization of immigration flows into Europe, both through family reunion and the independent migration of women, has been one of the most significant social changes of the past two decades. This development has, however, remained largely unexplored. This paper examines the consequences of changes in access to family reunion, and its gendered implications for women entering as family migrants and as applicants to sponsor family members. It calls for a positive evaluation of immigration policy aimed at securing rights as weIl as controlling immigration flows. ; La féminisation du flux migratoire vers l'Europe, du aux réunifications successives de familles ou à l'immigration indépendante des femmes, a été l'un des changements sociaux les plus significatifs des deux dernières décennies. Cependant, ce développement est demeuré largement inexploré. Le présent article examine les conséquences des changements dans l'accessibilité à la réunification familiale et leurs implications pour les femmes entrant comme immigrantes pour raisons familiales, ainsi que pour les femmes envisageant de parrainer des membres de leurs familles candidats à l'immigration. Un appel est fait pour une évaluation positive des politiques d'immigration visant à préserver les droits autant qu'à contrôler le flux migratoire.