Broadening the understanding of employment and identity of Syrian women living in Germany: A biographical study

ABSTRACT

Women who are forced migrants are often seen as a vulnerable group. To gain an understanding of the interplay of (forced) migration, employment and identity of professionally qualified Syrian women living in Germany, a biographical study focusing on the participants’ professional history was conducted. Data gathered through narrative interviews with five women were analyzed using the method of reconstructing narrative identity. Results show the dynamic interplay between social, temporal and self-referential dimensions of identity constructs, with the five intertwined themes: 1) Education as a socio-economic resource, 2) Significance of related persons, 3) Career development expectations vs reality, 4) Professional (re)orientation in Germany and 5) Future employment prospects. The present time is described as a transitional process, highlighting the meaning of work. Positionings in the women’s narratives reveal that traditional collective orientations seem to compete with individual orientations developed in the new cultural context. The results make clear the number of difficult contextual challenges the women have to face, and how strenuous this can be. The concept of narrative identity provides an approach to achieve a better understanding of the intersection of employment and identity against the background of forced migration.

被迫移民的妇女往往被视为弱势群体。为了解生活在德国的具有专业资格的叙利亚妇女（强迫）移民、就业和身份的相互作用，进行了一项关注参与者专业历史的传记性研究。使用重建叙事身份的方法，分析了对五位女性的叙述性访谈而收集的资料。结果显示了身份构建的社会、时间和自我指涉维度之间的动态性相互作用，以及五个相互交织的主题：1）作为社会经济资源的教育；2）相关人员的意义；3）职业发展期望与现实；4 ）德国的专业（再）定位和5）未来的就业前景。将当即时间描述为一个过渡过程，并强调工作的意义。女性叙事中的定位揭示，传统的集体取向似乎与新文化环境中发展的个人取向相抗争。结果清楚地表明了女性必须面对的艰难环境中的挑战量，以及这样的挑战可能是多么巨大。叙事身份的概念提供了一种方法，可以更好地理解在迫使移民的背景下就业和身份的交互关系。

Frecuentemente, aquellas mujeres que se han visto forzadas a migrar son consideradas como grupo vulnerable. Con el fin de comprender la interacción entre la migración (forzada), el empleo y la identidad de mujeres sirias, profesionalmente cualificadas y residentes en Alemania, se realizó un estudio biográfico centrado en la historia profesional de las participantes. La información fue recabada mediante entrevistas narrativas con cinco mujeres, siendo analizada posteriormente empleando el método de reconstrucción de la identidad narrativa. Los resultados al respecto dan cuenta de la dinámica interacción que se establece entre las dimensiones sociales, temporales y autorreferenciales de las construcciones identitarias. De ellos derivaron los siguientes temas entrelazados: 1) La educación como recurso socioeconómico; 2) La significancia de las personas emparentadas; 3) Las expectativas respecto a los avances en la carrera versus la realidad; 4) La (re)orientación en Alemania; y 5) Las futuras perspectivas laborales. Las entrevistadas describen el momento presente como un proceso transicional, haciendo hincapié en el significado del empleo. A partir de sus narrativas, los posicionamientos revelan que las orientaciones colectivas tradicionales parecen competir con las orientaciones individuales realizadas en el nuevo contexto cultural. En este sentido, los resultados dejan claro que las mujeres deben enfrentar numerosos y difíciles desafíos contextuales, así como lo extenuante que resulta este proceso. Así, en un contexto de migración forzada, el concepto de identidad narrativa constituye un enfoque que permite lograr una mejor comprensión de la intersección entre empleo e identidad.

KEYWORDS:

• Occupational science
• Narrative identity
• Employment
• Migration
• Positioning
• Social interrelations
• Professional identity
• Occupational identity

Acknowledgements

This article is based on a Master’s thesis from the HAWK, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Hildesheim/Holzminden/Goettingen. We gratefully thank all the women who participated in this study.

Notes

1. Within the context of this work, ‘professional identity’ is understood as a partial aspect of occupational identity concerning professional education and the field of paid employment.

2. Resettlement is intended to make it possible to permanently receive refugees from third countries. The ‘resettlement requirement’ is determined by the UNHCR, with 1,600 people seeking protection arriving in Germany from 2012 to 2015. In 2013 and 2014 20,000 people seeking protection from Syria were received in Germany within the humanitarian reception procedure (Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge [BAMF], 2016). Persons who are entitled to asylum receive a residence permit for 3 years. After a few years’ residence in Germany, people can apply for an indefinite residence entitlement (BAMF, 2018).

3. Levels: A1-C2 based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (COE, 2018); DSH: German language test for admission to higher education.