Description
The project focuses on middle aged and older women, migrants, as they have to face a greater risk of discrimination compared to men and other women from both the majority and minority of society. The goal is to equalize their social standing, limit vulnerability and strengthen rights in the social sphere. We want to track the success rate of their integration and test whether even in this case the principles applied to the major part of the female population can be applied. We will delineate the topic of gender in migration and its specifics in this age group to the public, we will strengthen the cooperation between organizations which deal with this topic. We will fight for change in the legislation and practice. A set of activities will lead towards these goals: qualitative research, review of public politics, course of social work for students, campaign or legal and social counseling. The outcome will be a publication for the public, monothematic number of the Charles University magazine, analysis of politics, evaluation report, internet blog, manuals for the migrants, social spot, articles, reportages and shows in the media.
Summary of project results
The aim of the project was to improve the status of migrant women over the age of 40, reinforce their rights, help them with their pensions, and determine their degree of integration. We used counselling, advocacy, and educational activities. In counselling, we focused on the individual advancement of the rights of migrant women in the Czech Republic. The advocacy and lobbying activities were based on arguments provided by our own analysis of the current state (including a comparison with Norway); we then approached a number of decision-making subjects with specific proposals for changes in public policies. In the area of education, we managed to spark public debate about gender in migration, where people from academia, national and local government, civil society, and the media became involved, including the European level. We approached the wider public in radio broadcasts, a blog, press, the documentary film The Women Next Door, leaflets, and our own publication. The project results have exceeded our expectations; although its implementation has been negatively affected by current changes in the social climate of the country in connection with the refugee crisis. In the long term, we expect greater interest on behalf of the state in changing the state of affairs in regard to middle-aged and retirement-aged migrant women. We expect society to be aware of their specific problems.
Summary of bilateral results
The role of the project partner University of Bergen was focused on providing information, knowledge and possible good practices in the field of migration and gender in relation to the target group of the project. The input summarizing these topics was included to the analysis of public policies, executed in the project. In addition, several good practices from Norway were used in the brief version of the analysis, published in the publication titled the same as the project: Women at the sidelines (?). In June 2016, the 2 Norwegian researchers, Ann Elise Widding Isaksen and Mariya Stoyanova Bikova attended final conference of the project in Prague, where they had a presentation titled The Politics of Care Work: Rethinking the Private and the Public within the panel session focusing on Migration, Gender and Care as well as they participated at the workshop on advocacy activities in the field of gender in migration. The cooperation was working, there was an exchange of information on the topic as well as relevant project activities. In addition, the partners had the chance to meet up twice in person and share their experience from both partner countries.