Project FEMMIG

Acronym	FEMMIG
Title	Gender and ethnicity: An exploration into the meaning of difference at the subjective level. The experience of ethnic identity of migrant women
Co-ordinator	The Interdisciplinary Centre for Comparative Research in the Social Sciences (ICCR), Vienna, Austria
Client	FWF, Vienna, Austria
Contract Number	P12116-SOZ
Duration	April 1997 - January 2000
Person Responsible	Liana Giorgi
Objectives	Both the multicultural and the feminist discourse struggle to come to terms with the difference concept theoretically as well as politically. This study was designed to explore the meaning of difference at the subjective level to gain insights about how the political concerns and difficulties in the multiculturalist and feminist debates to handle difference could be overcome by learning from the ways conflicting interests or identities are dealt with in everyday life. The study provides data on the following research questions: How do individuals perceive their cultural and gender identities? How do these identities interact? Are there gender and / or cultural differences? Do individuals experience conflicts, and if so, under which circumstances? If such conflicts occur, how are they dealt with in lived experience? The most important findings can be summarised as follows: The exploration of the meaning of difference at the subjective level shows a broad range of heterogeneity in the perception and experience of identities which does not parallel the public and political debates which tend to be more selective and less differentiated in their treatment of difference. Moreover, in these debates, unlike in individual experience, difference tends to coincide with mostly negative connotations. At the subjective level, however, both positive and negative interpretations of a variety of facets that comprise identities become evident. Whether this complexity is experienced as an obstacle or as an asset depends on the individual and more general interpersonal and structural resources, related to the culture of origin as well as the host society, that are available to the actor. Regarding specifically gender and ethnic identity, ethnic identity appears to be a less ambiguous facet of identity than gender identity. The limited extent of multiple identifications in connection with ethnicity is closely related to the lack of available choices that migrants face. Gender role identifications, on the other hand, show many nuances regardless of whether overall traditional or equality-oriented role understanding prevails. Gender is not marker of ethnicity. Yet, ethnicity is a marker of gender. Gender and ethnicity intertwine to a different extent depending on the cultural background. Different cultural norms shape the rigidity of practices and the extent of collective orientations as well as of normative pressure that is experienced at the subjective level. Women of both countries of origin, although in different forms to varying extent, experience more inequality and conflicts compared to men. At the same time, women displayed greater perceptive complexity, flexibility and openness than men did. These complementary findings seem to reflect women’s superior ability for adaptive responses which may be the result of a history of gender inequality that challenged the development of such traits.
Available Downloads	Gender and Ethnic Identity: Exploring the Meaning of Difference at the Subjective Level

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