Title:	Gender Norms and the ‘Backway’
Other Titles:	Migration Aspirations, Experiences and Social Tensions around Women’s Land Migration from The Gambia towards Europe
Authors:	Altrogge, Judith Jaw, Sait Matty Gassama, Fatoumata
Contributions by:	Institut für Migrationsforschung und Interkulturelle Studien, Universität Osnabrück
Abstract:	As part of the research project ‘Transnational Perspectives on Migration and Integration’ (TRANSMIT), this paper examines Gambian women who embark on land migration to Europe, known as the ‘backway’. The focus lies on the negotiation processes between them and their social environment. Gender norms which traditionally assign women a passive societal role often clash with their ambitions for a better life, economic independence, and gender equality. Based on four cases, we analyse the decisions and experiences of four women as well as the perception thereof by their family members and community representatives before, during, and after the journey. This reveals an ambivalent position: while families often reject women’s 'backway' migration as a violation of gender norms, they also value the economic contributions these women make. Understanding female migrants’ decision-making requires close examination of gender norms, social pressures and how women navigate them. The experiences of Gambian women on the 'backway' route emphasise the need to further highlight gender inequality and acknowledge the agency of female migrants in restrictive environments.
Citations:	Altrogge, Judith/Jaw, Sait Matty/Gassama, Fatoumata (2024): Gender Norms and the ‘Backway’. Migration Aspirations, Experiences and Social Tensions around Women’s Land Migration from The Gambia towards Europe. IMIS Working Paper 20, Institut für Migrationsforschung und Interkulturelle Studien (IMIS) der Universität Osnabrück. Osnabrück: IMIS.
URL:	https://doi.org/10.48693/607 https://osnadocs.ub.uni-osnabrueck.de/handle/ds-2024112911835
Subject Keywords:	Female Migration; Weibliche Migration; Backway; Irregular Migration; The Gambia; Gender Norms
Issue Date:	29-Nov-2024
License name:	Attribution 3.0 Germany
License url:	http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/de/
Type of publication:	Arbeitspapier [WorkingPaper]
Appears in Collections:	IMIS Working Papers

This item is licensed under a Creative Commons License