The Experience of Muslim Immigrant Women in Spain: Between Socio-cultural Change, Discrimination and Civil Society Participation

In the light of UN discussions on the role of women in the world, this policy report investigates how socio-political systems can empower women immigrants and diasporas in ways that they can both play a relevant socio-political role in the public sphere and negotiate their role in the private sphere. It aims to understand the factors that allow Muslim immigrant women, in particular, to contribute to socio-cultural change as a consequence of their migratory experience, both individually and through their involvement in the collective agency within the broader civil society of countries of residence.
From the evidences that different analytical tools offered, it is clear that, while the administrative and political systems do not provide stimuli, contribution to the civil society of the host country depends to a great extent on the personal attributes of women leaders. Their activities can subsequently affect socio-cultural change in countries of residence in positive ways. Therefore, in order to propel female agency further, governments should provide stimuli for female migrants to organise collectively, especially at the local level.
Another extremely interesting research finding is that the economic integration of Muslim women in the labour market of countries of residence appears to be the first driving force of socio-cultural change for Muslim families. Therefore, robust efforts to include more Muslim women in the labour market should be a priority for all government levels. In this light, economic incentives to hire Muslim women in small, medium and large business and enterprises would be a wise and affordable way to integrate Muslim women immigrants, empower them in their private spheres and, concurrently, contributing to important socio-cultural change of benefit for both these immigrants’ families and the countries of residence.