How women migrants cope with their labour experience: The case of Eastern European women working on strawberry farms in Spain

Abstract

The aim of this study is to know how migrant women from eastern Europe (hereinafter EE) define their migratory experience and how they face it. They were interviewed 25 women who work in the strawberry fields of Huelva (southwest of Spain). The phenomenon is approached from Liberation Psychology (LP) and qualitative methodology. LP emphasises power, as one of the core components of the migration experience, this concept has guided the interpretation of the findings. In-depth interviews with individuals and groups, comprising migrant women from Romania and Bulgaria, were conducted. A thematic analysis was performed which allowed us to identify the key themes running through their narratives. These have been grouped into three areas: the mechanisms of oppression, sources of power, and coping with oppression. In a bid to enhance the well-being of female migrant workers and levels of social justice several are proposed to giving workers better, more comprehensive information about the migration process; facilitating a redefinition of the concept of migration; and providing cultural competence training for employers as part of social policy are discussed.