New Actions for Migrant Women Erasmus Project

Project Title

New Actions for Migrant Women

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Gender equality / equal opportunities; Cooperation between educational institutions and business; Migrants’ issues

Project Summary

THE BACKGROUND, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES FOR THE NAME PROJECT – New Actions Migrant womEn
In the wake of the current economic upturn, there is an increased focus on the labour supply and the opportunities for strengthening the employment potential all over Europe. In par- ticular, it has sharpened the awareness of the current employment rate among non-Western citizens in general – and especially, the attention on the very weak labourmarket integration among non-Western women.
The specific interest in the employment situation of non-Western women should be seen in the light of a development, where non-Western women in total did not increase their employment rate over the last decade. In the Danish context, for instance, the latest figures from August 2018 revealed an employment rate of 47.44 pct, which is, in fact, identical to the corresponding calculation in August 2008, when the employment rate was 47.74 pct. In the intermediate decade, the employment rate of non-Western women declined and only showed a slightly increasing trend in recent years. The current figures for non-Western women’s employment rate must also be com-pared with the employment rate among native citizens, which, in the Danish case, would be 73.88 pct. The low level of employment and high long-term unemployment among women with a non- Western background have, with changing weight, been in the political spotlight all over Eu rope over the last decade. In Denmark, migrant women’s labourmarket integration was already in the mid-00s a special focal point in the government’s integration plan “New Chance To All”, followed by a comprehensive governmental programme, launched as “New Danish women’s resources in focus”. Furthermore, large financial fundings were ear- marked to national initiatives and efforts towards unemployed non-Western women, including jobrelated Danish language education due to new legislation. Finally, we have seen an increasing interest in the health situation of ethnic minorities, their access to the healthcare services and the importance of these conditions for the employment rate, for in-stance in the Healthy Diversity project. In the European context, the situation of refugee and migrant women was addressed in many studies and practical efforts. All partners in the project took part in various efforts in the field.
In summary, alarming employment rates and numerous efforts with poor employment effect raise the question, why non-Western women despite much awareness still tend to hold an excluded position in relation to labour-market integration and self-support. It also reactualizes the question of what we actually know about non-Western women’s resources, challenges and barriers? In general, the explan-atory models have pointed to an interaction between the lack of professional factors such as language skills, basic general competences, vocational skills, work identity – as well as socio-cultural and psychosocial factors such as poor health, trauma, culturally conditioned gender roles etc. This complexity has recently, in 2018, been defined as triple disadvantages by OECD, thus referring to the fact that women with a non-Western migrant/refugee/descendant background, in addition to professional, linguistic, social and personal challenges, seem to be hampered by gender barriers, linked to socio-cultural expectations of their role as mothers, housewives and main responsible for familylife. However, the uncertainty point to the fact that the women are measured from most generalizing preassumptions that probably fail to draw a nuanced and differentiated picture of the women’s needs and requirements in terms of a holistic support on theri way to employment and self-support.
Against this background, the rationale of the NAME project can be summarized as: the current economic boom throughout Europe intensifies the demand for labour reserves who are current not available for employment. Cer-tain segments of non-Western women belong to the labour reserves, as they didn’t increase their employment rate during the last decade. In terms of integration, we also face a political agenda pointing at non-Western women as important role models to pave the way to education and self-support for the new generations of other ethnic origins.The overall aim is to promote and improve the opportunities for employment, selfsupport and a safe and independent everyday life within the framework of an equal citizenship in accordance with the needs and requirements among non-Western/migrant women in accordance with a thorough needs analysis based on a holistic approach. This will be described and implemented on the basis of a new Jobpackage concept and local cross-sectoral Jobpackage Councils etc.
The NAME partnership is composed by partners from Denmark, Italy, Lithuania, Cyprus and Spain.

Project Website

http://nameproject.eu

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 299113 Eur

Project Coordinator

CLAVIS sprog & kompetence & Country: DK

Project Partners

• CSI CENTER FOR SOCIAL INNOVATION LTD
• CESIE
• Europiniu inovaciju centras
• RAMBOLL MANAGEMENT CONSULTING AS
• MAGENTA CONSULTORIA PROJECTS SL