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Gendered migrations, livelihoods and entitlements in european welfare regimes
Kofman, Eleonore
Kofman, Eleonore
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"In a previous era of mass, though far less restricted, migration from the 19th century until the First World War, Europe supplied by far the largest contingent of migrants. From 1880 to 1930, 40 million left the continent for the Americas and European colonies (Castles and Miller 2003: 56)1. Similarly intra-European migration was considerable until the Second World War. So though unwilling to acknowledge the significance of immigration and the contribution of migrants, European societies and states have a long history of immigration, both from neighbouring areas as well as from far-flung colonies throughout the world. In the initial post-war period until the stoppage of mass labour migration, distinct migratory regimes (colonial, hybrid, guestworker), defined in terms of the mode of entry, rights of residence and status of migrants, were characteristic of European countries (Kofman et al 2000: 46-56). The more expansive colonial regime, as in the UK, not only brought in workers but also whole families. Though attenuated, colonial links have left their imprint on migratory regimes in a number of European states, including those which in the earlier period had been countries of emigration, such as Portugal and Spain. Entry and/or access to citizenship may be facilitated for individuals with direct links to the country of origin or from former colonies. Historical and cultural attachments continue to attract students and skilled migrants from erstwhile colonies. Other states too have had privileged links and favoured access to the labour market for some migrants. The Nordic countries, and in particular Sweden as the largest economy, have since the 1950s operated as a regional unit. Germany too, though pursuing a guest worker regime premised on the rotation of single migrants unencumbered by family responsibilities, has since the end of the 1980s, received large numbers of ethnic Germans who have immediate access to German citizenship. However just as the role of immigration in Europe has been marginalized, so too has an historical amnesia befallen female immigration. Yet as Hania Zlotnik (2003) points out, the percentage of female migrants in Europe (as in other developed regions) was already high (48.5%) in 1960. Indeed, amongst migrants from the Caribbean and the European periphery (Ireland and Southern Europe), many women migrated on their own or as workers with their spouses, often leaving their children behind. As with traditional societies of immigration, Europe states permitted family reunification from the 1970s, whilst entire families from former colonies also settled in states such as the UK, France, Netherlands, Belgium and Portugal."(pg 4)
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2005-04
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With permission of the license/copyright holder