The Lived Experiences of Highly Skilled Nigerian Migrant Women Living in Italy
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| Title: | The Lived Experiences of Highly Skilled Nigerian Migrant Women Living in Italy |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Cheri L. Hatcher, Táíwò Isaac Ọlátúnjí |
| Source: | Commission for International Adult Education. 2025. |
| Availability: | Commission for International Adult Education. Available from: American Association for Adult and Continuing Education. 10111 Martin Luther King Junior Highway Suite 200C, Bowie, MD 20720. Tel: 301-459-6261; Fax: 301-459-6241; e-mail: office@aaace.org; e-mail: aaace10@aol.com; Web site: https://www.aaace.org/page/CIAE |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 15 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Document Type: | Speeches/Meeting Papers Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: | Foreign Countries, Females, Experience, Immigrants, Racial Factors, Gender Issues, Educational Attainment, Professional Identity, Barriers, Job Skills, Gender Bias, Social Bias, Employment Qualifications, Cultural Capital, Self Concept, Racism, Resilience (Psychology), Adjustment (to Environment) |
| Geographic Terms: | Nigeria, Italy |
| Abstract: | Migration is a deeply gendered and complex global phenomenon, and women migrants face unique vulnerabilities that are shaped by inequalities and intersecting forms of marginalization. While much research has centered on low-skilled migrant women, the experiences of highly skilled migrant women, particularly from the Global South, have been largely overlooked in both policy and academic discourse. This hermeneutic phenomenological study offers insight into the lived experiences of highly skilled Nigerian migrant women residing in Italy. Drawing on Community Cultural Wealth and Social Identity Theory, the study examines how the intersections of race, gender, migration, and education shape the participants' integration and access to opportunities. Findings suggest a disconnect between the participants' prior professional identities and their post-migration realities. Through semi-structured, in- depth interviews, this study reveals how these women navigate institutional barriers, challenge deficit narratives about migration, and make sense of their professional and personal identities within a transnational context. By centering the voices of highly skilled Nigerian migrant women, this research creates an intersectional and human- centered understanding of the experiences of highly skilled migrants, calling for more inclusive frameworks that recognize non-Western knowledge and support better reintegration in host countries. This study offers critical insights for adult educators, labor integration programs, and migration policy in Europe and beyond. [For the full proceedings, see ED680796.] |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | ED680861 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Migration is a deeply gendered and complex global phenomenon, and women migrants face unique vulnerabilities that are shaped by inequalities and intersecting forms of marginalization. While much research has centered on low-skilled migrant women, the experiences of highly skilled migrant women, particularly from the Global South, have been largely overlooked in both policy and academic discourse. This hermeneutic phenomenological study offers insight into the lived experiences of highly skilled Nigerian migrant women residing in Italy. Drawing on Community Cultural Wealth and Social Identity Theory, the study examines how the intersections of race, gender, migration, and education shape the participants' integration and access to opportunities. Findings suggest a disconnect between the participants' prior professional identities and their post-migration realities. Through semi-structured, in- depth interviews, this study reveals how these women navigate institutional barriers, challenge deficit narratives about migration, and make sense of their professional and personal identities within a transnational context. By centering the voices of highly skilled Nigerian migrant women, this research creates an intersectional and human- centered understanding of the experiences of highly skilled migrants, calling for more inclusive frameworks that recognize non-Western knowledge and support better reintegration in host countries. This study offers critical insights for adult educators, labor integration programs, and migration policy in Europe and beyond. [For the full proceedings, see ED680796.] |
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