Policing gender mobilities: interrogating the ‘feminisation of migration’ to Europe

Marchetti, Sabrina; Salih, Ruba

Abstract

This article proposes a gendered critique of the European Neighbourhood Policy, a framework that, amongst other things, aims to facilitate the mobility of migrants to the EU from the bordering countries. We highlight the ambivalences of European gender and migration regimes, and we take issue with the celebration of the ‘feminisation of migration’. The former fails to offer opportunities to women to safely embark on autonomous migratory projects, the latter contributes to reproduce traditional gender biases in the countries of origin as well as of destination. We conclude by suggesting that the EU critique to emigration countries for failing to tackle women’s discrimination is less than persuasive when assessed vis-á-vis with the curtailment on women’s independent mobility across European borders.

Citation

Marchetti, S., & Salih, R. (2017). Policing gender mobilities: interrogating the ‘feminisation of migration’ to Europe. International Review of Sociology, 27(1), 6-24. https://doi.org/10.1080/03906701.2017.1303966

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Feb 26, 2017
• Online Publication Date: May 3, 2017
• Publication Date: May 3, 2017
• Deposit Date: Jul 31, 2017
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 31, 2017
• Journal: International Review of Sociology
• Print ISSN: 0390-6701
• Electronic ISSN: 1469-9273
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis Group
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 27
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 6-24
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03906701.2017.1303966