Addressing women's agency on international mobility

Abstract

Synopsis Women have been linked to lack of agency in making decisions on mobility; however, young highly-skilled women do take initiative impelled by the dynamics of the global market and the institutional culture of career progression. The aim of this paper is to explore the agency of women (individual motivation goal-oriented) and the influences of structural forces (labour market dynamics, patriarchal contexts and family commitments) that may motivate women's mobility. The study uses the life stories of 34 women from Spain who move within the EU and third country nationals who come to the EU. We consider how they make decisions along their life course, turning points in their lives and consequences of their choices. The results reveal that their decisions are closely linked to not only social circumstances, such as job opportunities and family, but also the agency of women depending on their age, feeling of fulfilment and ideas about emancipation.