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Barriers to attending the integration course , , Everyday experiences of refugee women with young children
The BAMF Brief Analysis 3|2021 addresses the everyday experiences of refugee women with young children and the barriers that may hinder them to attend an integration course. It provides an in-depth look at the underlying mechanisms, which include both challenges and potentials. This Brief Analysis was designed as part of the broader research project entitled "Evaluation of the integration courses" (EvIk).
For this study, the author conducted and analysed 16 qualitative interviews with refugee women attending MiA courses who are not yet or are no longer attending an integration course, as well as with instructors of MiA courses who generally have a broad knowledge of the challenges women face with attending integration measures such as the integration course. MiA courses are offered specifically for women with a migration background. By choosing a qualitative approach, the author was able to capture the respondents' experiences, actions, meanings and evaluations and use them as explanatory approaches.
The aim of the study was to investigate the barriers that exist when trying to attend the integration course, to find out what support the respondents desire and what potential they see. The author distinguishes between structural and individual-family barriers in this analysis.
The most important results at a glance
Lack of childcare
The lack of regular childcare facilities constitutes a major structural barrier faced by refugee women with young children when it comes to attending the integration course. This can be aggravated by the fact that some refugee women do not use specific childcare services due to individual-family motivation at times.
Geographical distance
Another structural barrier constitutes the geographical distance between the place of residence and the venue of the integration course or the childcare facility, which is more prevalent in structurally weak areas. Moreover, some of the respondents are not accustomed to heading to the integration course unaccompanied.
Framework conditions and classical gender roles
In the perception of the course instructors, the Job Center's practice of obliging migrants to attend the integration course often gives priority to the husbands, so that the wives' attendance is delayed. The classical division of gender roles between the spouses represents another individual-family barrier, turning the identified structural barriers to "a female problem" in the first place.
Respondents' suggestions for improvement
The wishes and possible suggestions for improvement of the course instructors and attendees range from the promotion and advancement of the federal program "Female migrants simply strong in daily life" (MiA courses) as to possibilities for child supervision linked to the integration course.
The Brief Analysis was written by: Anna Tissot with contributions by Joana Zimmer