The Trajectories That Remain to Be Told: Civic Participation, Immigrant Organizations, and Women’s Leadership in Portugal

Joana Topa () and Carla Cerqueira
Additional contact information
Joana Topa: Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, University of Maia, 4475-690 Maia, Portugal
Carla Cerqueira: Centre for Research in Applied Communication, Culture, and New Technologies (CICANT), Lusófona University, 4000-098 Porto, Portugal

Social Sciences, 2023, vol. 12, issue 12, 1-20

Abstract: This study focuses on migrant women and their civic participation in civil society organizations and/or immigrant associations. Despite women’s migration having a long global history and being of academic interest, extensive knowledge of this situation has increased substantially in recent decades; research on the civic participation of immigrant women in Portugal is still incipient. The structural conditions affecting these women’s mobility processes remain overlooked, concealing their vulnerabilities. Additionally, success stories of migrant women, which could serve as inspirations for others, are often invisible. This exploratory research examines the role of female immigrant leaders and the demands they face in facilitating immigrants’ integration into Portuguese society. Eight qualitative interviews were conducted with diverse immigrant organizations in Portugal, advocating for immigrant rights and promoting integration through various strategies. The results reveal that migrant women’s experiences and participation in leadership roles are shaped not only by their migrant background and their qualifications but also by the difficulties they encountered upon arrival in Portugal. These leaders tend to focus on constraints, particularly regarding the organization’s sustainability, rather than emphasizing opportunities for civic participation. Nevertheless, this study also reveals that participation in IOs leads to increased autonomy and a heightened sense of empowerment for these women. It grants them a voice, visibility, and recognition both in the host society and their own communities. Overall, the study sheds light on the significance of recognizing immigrant women’s contributions and challenges, as well as the crucial role played by immigrant organizations in promoting integration and advocating for immigrants’ rights in Portugal. It also emphasizes the need for the government to financially support these organizations.

Keywords: immigration; organizations; women; citizenship; participation; leadership; Portugal (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A B N P Y80 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/12/12/665/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/12/12/665/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jscscx:v:12:y:2023:i:12:p:665-:d:1292124

Access Statistics for this article

Social Sciences is currently edited by Ms. Yvonne Chu

More articles in Social Sciences from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().