The transnational engagement and integration strategies of Ghanaian women in Europe
 

Studies show that a migrant’s ability to integrate into the host society of the destination country is predicated on several factors. These include the immigration policies that govern migrant’s mobility, the institutional and social barriers that exist in the society as well as the migrant’s individual agency and social networks (Castles & Miller, 2009; Erdal and Oeppen, 2013; Fokkema & De Haas, 2015).

In addition to integration, migrants often tend to engage in some form of transnationalism where they remain connected to their countries of origin through various social, political, economic and cultural activities and networks while living in the host society.

This study seeks to understand how Ghanaian women labour migrants engaging in transnational activities become upwardly mobile in Germany and the Netherlands. Using an intersectional feminist perspective, the study will explore the role identity plays in the migrant’s ability to integrate economically and socially into the host society. It will also explore how identity impacts the kinds of transnational networks they belong to and the transnational activities they engage in, and how this in turn impacts their pathways to becoming upwardly mobile.