Interviewing Polish migrant women in the United Kingdom and Poland

Migration from the ‘new’ European Union Member States to the United Kingdom has been identified as one of the most significant social phenomena of recent times. Evidence shows that migrant women constitute a large proportion of international migrants. When considering migration within the European context, migrant women outnumber their male counterparts. Even though gendered studies of migration are now attaining recognition, there is limited literature in relation to Polish migrant women. Drawing on preliminary findings from new fieldwork research undertaken in Poland and the United Kingdom in 2012, this case study focuses on research undertaken to explore how Polish migrant women exercise their rights as European Union citizens to better their own and their families' well-being. This is a qualitative research study conducted with the use of in-depth semi-structured interviews. This case study focuses on sampling, recruitment issues and challenges encountered in the data collection process. The benefits of studying depth, of the active involvement of the researcher and the researcher's relationship with the participants and the data are explored. This case study showcases issues relating to reflexivity as the research was conducted from a gendered perspective. The data gathered was analysed using thematic analysis

Destination integration : Third Country Nationals in the north of England (summary report)

Integration Up North research is part of a wider project led by Migration Yorkshire (the regional migration partnership for Yorkshire and the Humber region), which aims to gain a better understanding of Third Country Nationals' (TCN) integration experiences in the region. The whole project aims to improve the integration of TCNs through a comprehensive and co-ordinated programme of research, training, guidance, strategic support and migrant participation for Local Authorities, key policy-makers and practitioners. As part of the Integration Up North project funded by the European Integration Fund (EIF), the University of Salford undertook a research project to explore the settlement experiences of Third Country Nationals who were living and working in the North of England. The following issues were explored: the settlement and integration experiences of Third Country Nationals and how they differ according to gender, route in, and vulnerability; how and in what ways particular actors - such as services, employers and communities - assist in the process of integration; the nature and context of social relations between new migrants and local community members; and what local authorities and other services can do to enhance positive experiences of settlement and integration in the future. This involved qualitative longitudinal in-depth interviews and photo elicitation with three different groups of individuals: highly skilled migrants; family joiners; and former asylum seekers. This summary report includes the main research findings and recommendations

Destination integration : Third country nationals in the north of England [final report]

Integration Up North research is part of a wider project led by Migration Yorkshire (the regional migration partnership for Yorkshire and the Humber region), which aims to gain a better understanding of Third Country Nationals' (TCN) integration experiences in the region. The University of Salford is a partner in this project, along with an organisation called Migration Work. The whole project aims to improve the integration of TCNs through a comprehensive and co-ordinated programme of research, training, guidance, strategic support and migrant participation for Local Authorities, key policy-makers and practitioners. The project is co-funded by the European Union's European Integration Fund. SHUSU was responsible for undertaking the research component of the whole project. This involved qualitative longitudinal in-depth interviews and photo elicitation with three different groups of individuals: highly skilled migrants; family joiners; and former asylum seekers. This final research report includes research findings and recommendations

Salford postgraduate annual research conference (SPARC) 2012 proceedings

These proceedings bring together a selection of papers from the 2012 Salford Postgraduate Annual Research Conference (SPARC). They reflect the breadth and diversity of research interests showcased at the conference, at which over 130 researchers from Salford, the North West and other UK universities presented their work. 21 papers are collated here from the humanities, arts, social sciences, health, engineering, environment and life sciences, built environment and business

Citizenship in action? A case study of Polish migrant women moving between Poland and the UK

Migration from the new European Union (EU) Member States to the United Kingdom (UK) has been identified as one of the most significant social phenomena of recent times and Accession 8 (A8) migration to the UK has been studied extensively particularly since 2004. Even though gendered studies of migration are now attaining recognition, there is limited literature in relation to Polish migrant women. What is more, there is now much evidence to support the view that migrant women constitute a large proportion of international migrants. In fact, when considering migration within the European context, migrant women now outnumber their male counterparts. Drawing on a review of secondary literature and preliminary findings from new fieldwork research undertaken in Poland and the UK in 2012, this paper explores how Polish migrant women exercise their rights as EU citizens to better their own and their families’ well-being. As the consequence of their newly acquired rights as EU citizens, Polish migrant women appear to be active agents who make use of the resources and opportunities that migration offers. It is concluded that migration within the EU presents positive opportunities for Polish migrant women to actively engage with and exercise national and EU citizenship rights

Migration as opportunity? A case study of Polish women : Migrants in the UK and returnees in Poland

Migration from the new European Union (EU) Member States to the United Kingdom (UK) has been identified as one of the most significant social phenomena of recent times and has been studied extensively, particularly since 2004. Although gendered studies of migration are now gaining recognition, there is limited literature in relation to Polish women. There is now much evidence to support the view that migrant women constitute a large proportion of international migrants; within the European context, migrant women already outnumber their male counterparts. Drawing on a review of secondary literature and preliminary findings from new qualitative research undertaken in Poland and the UK, this paper explores how Polish migrant women negotiate their lives in regard to work and welfare responsibilities when exercising their rights as EU citizens. It is argued that migrant women should be seen as active decision makers and that migration may be considered as an opportunity to bring about change in relation to gender roles. It is concluded that migration presents an opportunity to re evaluate gender norms