Male Migrants Research Articles

Gender, modern slavery and labour exploitation: experiences of male Polish migrants in England

ABSTRACT This paper examines how gender affects Polish men’s vulnerability to labour exploitation in Britain, given the relatively little research investigating the role of gender in modern slavery labour exploitation. Drawing on a sample of male Polish migrants living in England, this paper makes a novel contribution by addressing several potential shortcomings of prior analyses in analysing the role of gender at different moments of the men’s experiences of exploitation. Key findings suggest some Polish men conform to traditional gender roles embedded in and shaped by Polish society and its specific socio-economic and political transformation. Their desire to conform intensifies pressures to migrate and work to uphold their status as providers. However, their accounts demonstrate that gendered pressures sometimes complicate concerns over unscrupulous labour dynamics, which increase their vulnerability to labour exploitation and prevent some from seeking help. Moreover, the reluctance to report their exploitation can unintentionally steer them into perilous situations or further exploitation, which raises important questions for victim reporting and protection. Many of these men’s accounts provide empirical support for gender-role conflict theory and the necessity for masculinity and its effects to be included in national policy and frameworks to address modern slavery.

Gender analysis of factors influencing livelihood choice among migrants in cocoa-producing communities of Ondo State, Nigeria

The study analysed gender specific factors influencing livelihood choice among migrants in cocoa-producing communities of Ondo State Nigeria to enhance inclusiveness and gender equity in rural economy. A multi-stage sampling procedure was adopted to select 220 respondents across the study area. Structured interview schedule was used to elicit information. Data were summarised with percentages, mean and standard deviation, while factor analysis was used to categorise and isolate the gender specific factors influencing migrants’ livelihood choice. Results revealed that 51.4 percent of the migrants were male and 48.6 percent were female with mean ages of 44.6 ± 13.3 and 42.0 ± 13.3 years, respectively. The mean annual income for male and female were 459,769.91 ± 409,365.69 Naira and 247,607.48 ± 207,169.69 Naira, respectively. On-farm livelihood category was the most popular choice of both male (100.0%) and female (93.5%) while more female (50.5 and 38.3%) than male (38.1 and 28.6%) engaged in off-farm and non-farm categories respectively. For the male, five crucial factors (socio-economic status, labour resource, financial accessibility, external orientation and farm holding) were isolated with a total explained variation of 74.4 percent, whereas financial resource, labour resource, socio-economic and group benefit factors were among the six factors (with explained variation of 72.1%) found to influence livelihood choice of female migrants. These findings revealed gender-based differentiation in the factor influencing the choices of male and female migrants. These factors were major determinants of livelihood choice of migrants. Therefore, focusing on gender-specific factors influencing the livelihood choice of migrants is crucial to any planned intervention to enhance cocoa production in the study area.

Labour Recruitment Systems in Global Production Networks: The Ruralisation of Labour Regimes in South India’s Garment and Textile Industries

ABSTRACT This article argues that the labour regime in the garment and textile industries in Tiruppur and Coimbatore, India has transformed from an unorganised feminisation to formalised, ruralised labour, which locates new forms of precarity in the region’s larger factories. Labour brokers’ recruitment of long-distance male migrants has fashioned a national labour market for the recruitment of the region’s garment and textile workers. Feminisation of the workforce now includes the specific recruitment of unmarried women through labour brokers, the use of lump-sum employment contracts and company provision of hostel accommodation. Combining theoretical insights from the literatures on local labour regimes and global production networks, the article argues that labour recruitment strategies play an active role in the construction of regional labour markets and organisation of global production networks.

Psychosocial Workplace Factors and Health Problems among Indian Migrants in Gulf Cooperation Council Countries

Background: There are not extensive studies about psychosocial occurrence of work related health problems in the Indian migrants in GCC countries. The present study was intended to determine the work related psychosocial health problems and its consequences among the workers. Methodology: This was cross sectional study and conducted in Warangal district, India. It involves male migrants of low and semi-skilled from six countries of the GCC. The questionnaire adopted from previous literature and consists of elements related to characteristics of demographic, psychosocial workplace factors including health related. The questionnaire was interviewed and was adopted in English. Data was analyzed using SPSS statistics. Results: In total 410 migrants were included and 70.5% of them are married. Greater number of the respondent’s migrants were construction laborers (25.4%). Reported high prevalence of physical strain (58%), lengthy standing (97.8%), lengthy sitting (65.6%), lifting and carrying (65%). Interestingly reported, 70% of them work in the same physical position for a lengthy period of time. Half of the migrant workers required a lot of thinking at their work and reported (75%) their work is too difficult. The study found 81% of migrants having good prospects with their employer. However, 72% reported their private life is suffering due to irregular working hours such as shifts or overtime and 66% do not have fixed working hours. Mechanical vibrations (68%) and raising voice (44%) affect their health. Almost all migrants suffering from dry and damp air including dust and accidents which are the highest factor at the workplace reported. Diseases reported are diabetes, cardiovascular, hypertension and metabolic arthritis suffering among workers. Conclusions: The study emphasizes implementing various strategies or policies related to the workplace intended to improve work environment characteristics including psychosocial work factors to avoid work related health problems.

Capital as vocational currency in refugee migrant education: intersection of language training, work experience and vocational qualifications

ABSTRACT For refugee migrants, proficiency in the language of their host country is a significant factor affecting their chance of integration and employment in their new society. For this reason, many Western nations provide host-country language training for such migrants. Australia thus offers English language training within its Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector to assist in refugee settlement. This study draws on qualitative interview data collected from a group of male Muslim refugee migrants attending these Australian training programs. Applying a Bourdieusian analysis to the data, the study’s findings suggest that language training alone does not meet their linguistic and vocational needs. The paper argues first that the current language training programs need to be reconceptualised to consider the intersection of language training, work experience and vocational qualification; and second, that there must be a confluence of these three factors if refugee migrants are to have any chance of gaining meaningful employment opportunities. The notion of capital as ‘vocational currency’ is proposed as a new term to identify the complex relationships within this confluence. The article concludes with discussion of the implications of this study for language training within these VET programs.

And yet, migration, population growth or mortality are not balanced among Cantabrian brown bear subpopulations. Reply to Blanco et al (2020).

In a recent paper, we presented new evidence and provided new insights on the status of Cantabrian brown bear subpopulations, relevant for this species conservation. Namely, we revealed the likely phylogeographic relation between eastern Cantabrian subpopulation and the historical Pyrenean population. We have also detected an asymmetric flow of alleles and individuals from the eastern to the western subpopulation, including seven first-generation male migrants. Based on our results and on those of previous studies, we called the attention to the fact that Eastern Cantabrian brown bears might be taking advantage of increased connectivity to avoid higher human pressure and direct persecution in the areas occupied by the eastern Cantabrian subpopulation. In reply, Blanco et al (2020) [11] have criticized our ecological interpretation of the data presented in our paper. Namely, Blanco and co-authors criticize: (1) the use of the exodus concept in the title and discussion of the paper; (2) the apparent contradiction with source-sink theory; (3) the apparent overlooking of historical demographic data on Cantabrian brown bear and the use of the expression of population decline when referring to eastern subpopulation. Rather than contradicting the long and growing body of knowledge on the two brown bear subpopulations, the results presented in our paper allow a new perspective on the causes of the distinct pace of population growth of the two brown bear subpopulations in the last decades. Here, we reply to the criticisms by: clarifying our ecological interpretation of the results; refocusing the discussion on how the new genetic data suggest that currently, the flow of individuals and alleles is stronger westward, and how it may be linked to direct persecution and killing of brown bears. We provide detailed data on brown bear mortality in the Cantabrian Mountains and show that neither migration, gene flow, population increase nor mortality are balanced among the two subpopulations.

The Risk of HIV/STDs Infection and Transmission Among Never-Married Male Migrants in China: Is Risk Attributable to Bachelorhood or Migration?

In the context of sex-ratio imbalance and rural-to-urban migration in China, never-married male migrants may become a vulnerable group as well as a bridge population that facilitates HIV/STDs transmission. It is still not clear, however, whether increased HIV/STDs transmission risk can be attributed to bachelorhood, migration, or both. This study identified the contributions of bachelorhood and migration to an increased risk of HIV/STDs infection, as well as the risk of HIV/STDs transmission across populations and regions. Data were from a cross-sectional questionnaire survey, in which 180 never-married non-migrant males in rural areas, 558 never-married male migrants, and 302 married male migrants in urban areas of China were interviewed in 2017. Results showed that never-married male migrants are more likely to engage in commercial sex and unsafe sex than never-married non-migrant males, and their likelihood of engaging in unsafe sex was also higher than married male migrants. Although never-married male migrants were less likely to have multiple sex partners than married male migrants, they were more likely to have multiple sex partners and sex partners from different regions than never-married non-migrant males. These findings indicate that both migration and bachelorhood increase the risk of HIV/STDs infection for never-married male migrants, and migration also increases the risk of HIV/STDs transmission across populations and regions.

Gender Differences in Nutritional Intake among Rural-Urban Migrants in China.

Due to rapid economic growth and urbanization, China has witnessed massive migration from rural to urban areas and significant changes in food habits and nutritional intake. This paper empirically examines the factors affecting nutritional intake of 7752 rural-urban migrants and its gender effects, using the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) data from 1991 to 2011. The descriptive results show that female migrants (FMs) have lower energy intake but have higher proportions of energy from protein and fat than male migrants (MMs), indicating that FMs have a better nutritional quality. The regression results show that the calorie-income elasticities are 0.014 for MMs and 0.018 for FMs. A remarkable positive effect of income on nutritional quality is found for FMs. Employment in non-farm sectors and the community environmental sanitation have a significant increase in calorie intake and nutritional quality, while non-farm employment presents a negative and significant effect on FMs’ calorie intake. Modern market significantly positively affects migrants’ energy intake from protein, thereby improving their nutritional quality. The exogenous switching treatment effect regression results display a significant gender effect on energy intake and its share from protein for migrants, while there is no significant gender effect when it comes to the share of energy from fat.

Network explanations of the gender gap in migrants’ employment patterns: Use of online and offline networks in the Netherlands

Objective: We investigate the relation between having online and offline personal networks and employment for male and female migrants in the Netherlands.
 Background: Previous research diagnoses an alarming gender gap for migrants in their employment patterns. Although social networks are identified as being crucial for migrants’ labor market participation, we know very little about how migrant men and women differ in their social networks and how these differences translate into varying employment opportunities.
 Method: Drawing on the Dutch Immigrant Panel of LISS (Longitudinal Internet Studies for the Social Sciences) dataset, we examined migrants’ employment patters who have arrived to the Netherlands under different migration streams by conducting logistic regression models.
 Results: We identify two major findings. While contrary to our expectations, migrant women tend to be connected with those who are employed and with a Dutch background, less connected to men and have a rather dense network structure. Nonetheless, women’s personal networks do not significantly account for their unemployment, but rather their less use of LinkedIn than migrant men.
 Conclusion: Our findings have implications in understanding network inequalities for female migrants in their labor market participation.

Female employment and migration in European countries: Introduction to the Special Issue

Objective: This chapter introduces the reader to the Special Issue "Female Employment and Migration in European Countries".
 Background: While there is a large body of research on the labour market performance of male migrants, women’s employment behaviour after migration has only recently moved into the focus of attention.
 Method: This Special Issue draws on various research methods and data sources, including register, census, and survey data. Some of the studies focus on specific national contexts, such as the German, Spanish, Dutch, and Belgian situations. Other studies compare female migrants across European countries and between origin and destination countries.
 Results: The contributions in this Special Issue help to disentangle the complex interplay of socio-economic factors, family and fertility behaviour, gender role attitudes, and institutional constraints and policies that shape the employment behaviour of migrant women after they migrate.
 Conclusion: In many European countries, the employment rates of first-generation female migrants, and particularly those of women from non-EU countries of origin, lag behind the employment rates of native women. While prior research has often reported that socio-economic and cultural factors play a role in shaping the employment behaviour of female migrants, the contributions in this volume also emphasise the strong relevance of institutional factors in the receiving country, including migration, family, and labour market policies.

From "guest workers" to EU migrants: A gendered view on the labour market integration of different arrival cohorts in Germany

Objective: This paper draws on data from the Microcensus to provide a long-term overview of the labour market performance of different arrival cohorts of non-German women and men who immigrated to (western) Germany.
 Background: While there is a large body of research on the labour market outcomes of migrants to Germany, a long-term and gender-specific overview is missing.
 Method: We provide descriptive analyses of the employment rates, working hours, and occupational status levels of different arrival cohorts by gender, calendar year, and duration of stay. The data cover the time period 1976-2015.
 Results: With the exception of the earliest cohort, migrant women and men were consistently less likely to be employed than their German counterparts. While the average working hours of migrant women of earlier cohorts were longer than those of German women, this pattern reversed due to a considerable decline in the average working hours of migrant women across subsequent cohorts. The occupational status levels of female and male migrants increased across the arrival cohorts, corresponding to higher levels of education. Analyses by duration of stay indicate that the occupational status of the arrival cohorts tended to decline during their initial years of residence, and to stagnate thereafter. This pattern seems to be due in part to selective outmigration.
 Conclusion: Our results clearly show that the labour market performance of immigrants varied greatly by arrival cohort, reflecting the conditions and policy contexts during which they entered Germany. This conclusion applied especially to migrant women.

The Influence of Gender and Educational Attainment Differences on International Migrants’ Occupational Status in OECD Countries

The purpose of the study is to show two essential elements of the occupational status of international migrants in OECD countries. The study extends the current research by focusing on how the educational attainment of international migrants and the gender dimension affect migrants’ occupational status. To achieve the aim of the study, a quantitative research approach was followed. Ordinary least square regression analysis was used to emphasize the relationship between educational attainment and gender differences, and occupational status. The databases were taken from the OECD DIOC 2015/2016. It has been found that high-level educational attainment matches with representative vacancies, and female migrants tend to have those occupations more than male migrants in OECD countries. On the other hand, the study’s limitations included a lack of data on testing the exact occupational status of migrants in OECD countries, as well as educational attainment levels that were not specifically divided into each level of education in the databases.

Male out-migration from the Himalaya: implications in gender roles and household food (in)security in the Kaligandaki Basin, Nepal

ABSTRACT This paper investigates implications of male labour migration in gender roles and identity of women, and household food security outcome in the Kaligandaki Basin, Nepal. The study covers three study-clusters located at different ecological zones: Meghauli in Tarai, Lumle in Middle-Mountains, and Upper-Mustang in Trans-Himalaya. Data on private domain were collected through face-to-face interview in 360 households while data on public domain were obtained from group discussions conducted in 24 communities, and Key Informants Interviews taken with 75 individuals. The findings indicate that out-migration of men compelled women shoulder additional work-burden. Feminisation of agriculture and communities has reduced farm-production and increased food insecurity in terms of self-production. However, it is compensated by remittance sent by migrants and associated increase in access to marketed food. Despite male out-migration giving opportunity to women to be a household manager, it is limited to be a de facto household-head who lacks control over household assets. They have poor influence in community decision-making too, though increased the participation. Women in the basin are performing the roles of both men and women so are lacking particular gender identity. These findings indicate the need of integrating gender policy with migration, agriculture, and food security policies of Nepal.

Environmental associations of cownose ray (Rhinoptera bonasus) seasonal presence along the U.S. Atlantic Coast

AbstractIdentifying the mechanistic drivers of migration can be crucial in shaping conservation and management policies. The cownose ray (Rhinoptera bonasus) is a relatively poorly understood elasmobranch species that occurs along the U.S. Atlantic coast and undergoes large‐scale seasonal migrations. To better understand the drivers and timing of cownose ray seasonal migration in order to inform potential management measures, we analyzed telemetry detections of 51 mature cownose rays (38 female, 13 male) tagged with acoustic transmitters in the Maryland and Virginia portions of Chesapeake Bay. Detections within their summer habitat in Chesapeake Bay and winter habitat in the vicinity of Cape Canaveral, Florida, were matched with publicly available sea surface temperature (SST) data recorded by data buoys near the areas of tag detections and with local photoperiod and day of year. These variables were used in boosted regression tree models of ray presence (all rays combined, females only, and males only) in each seasonal habitat. Models were developed for presence during the entire summer and winter season, and for the time periods of arrival and departure from both summer and winter habitats. Seasonal presence in both summer and winter habitats was associated with distinct temperature, photoperiod, and date ranges, with temperature as the most influential variable in seasonal models. In models of arrival and departure periods, southward migration (departure from Chesapeake Bay and arrival off Cape Canaveral) was strongly associated with SST for all rays and arrival in the Chesapeake Bay region after northward migration was most strongly associated with day of year. The most influential variable during the period of northward departure from Cape Canaveral differed between males (day of year) and females (SST). This suggests that mature female northward migration may be driven by temperature while male northward migration may be driven by endogenous cues. These findings provide detailed information on the timing of cownose ray arrival at, presence in, and departure from seasonal habitats and provide potential justification for including the species in cross‐taxa comparative studies on migratory behavior.

440Women and children’s experiences of international male migration for labour in Nepal

Abstract Background At least 10% of the Nepalese population is estimated to be working abroad. Typically, those abroad are young men with families from agricultural backgrounds. Research regarding the impact on the family left behind in Nepal is growing but has focused on singular issues rather than the multifaceted effects of migration. This study aimed to gain an in-depth understanding of the challenges and benefits of migration for wives and children left behind. Methods Thirty-two qualitative semi-structured interviews were undertaken in Kathmandu and Kaski districts of Nepal. Eligible participants were women who had a husband who had migrated abroad for work and a child under the age of five. Interviews were conducted in Nepali, translated and transcribed to English, then coded and analysed using inductive Thematic Analysis. Results Three overarching themes were developed: Migration as a livelihood strategy, Migration as a trade-off, and Adaptation to the situation. The financial benefits of migration included improvements in children’s education and access to food and housing. Challenges identified were women’s increased labour burden inside and outside the home, psychosocial stress, and changed child-father relationships. Change in women’s empowerment was dependent on socio-demographic factors. Conclusions Migration often resulted in the improvement of economic circumstances. However, challenges being faced by women and children largely shifted from financial to emotional. Key messages The effects of migration are mediated by contextual factors. Given the ongoing reliance on migration for work, strategies should be employed to optimise the benefits and mitigate the consequences of those who remain.

Urban home: young male migrants constructing home in the city

ABSTRACT This paper offers an exploration of the concept of ‘urban home’ (or, constructing home in city space) by focusing on two groups of young male migrants: refugees and international students in Cork, Ireland. Walking methods and photography were used to record migrants’ geographies of urban home through the lens of everyday inhabitance of the city. We propose four dimensions to the construction of urban home in post-migration lives – instrumentality, memory, spaces of care, and future home. Our analysis shows that migrants connect to and disconnect from the city of Cork in different ways. Young male migrants in this study feel largely disconnected from hegemonic Irish society and, as such, much of their meaning-making of home is shaped in relation to an unknown postponed and undefined future time. Urban home here is not an attachment to Cork city as home, but, rather to a familiar idea of home that may take place in Cork.

Exploring the Role of Cognition in the Annual Fall Migration of the Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus).

Simple SummaryEach year, millions of monarch butterflies in eastern North America undergo a spectacular fall migration to overwintering sites in central Mexico, where they remain until returning northward in the spring. In addition to the navigational challenges faced during the southward flight, migratory individuals are also challenged with the foraging task of locating high-quality nectar sources for overwinter survival in the face of unfamiliar floral landscapes that change in complex and unpredictable ways. In the research reported here, a proboscis extension paradigm is used to investigate learning and long-term memory abilities that might help fall migrants meet these unique foraging demands. Male and female migratory and captive-reared individuals were consecutively trained to perform color and odor cue discriminations and then tested for their ability to simultaneously retain reward information associated with each cue in memory without reinforcement over a period of 7 days. Results showed that male and female fall migrants can learn the reward properties of color and odor cues with over 75% accuracy after less than 40 s of exposure and can simultaneously retain visual and olfactory information predicting the availability of floral rewards in memory without reinforcement for at least 7 days. Captive-reared male butterflies also showed the ability to retain visual and olfactory information in long-term memory for 7 days; however, 80% of captive-reared females could not retain color cues in long-term memory for more than 24 h. These novel findings are consistent with the view that monarch butterflies have enhancements to long-term memory that enable them to minimize the amount of time and energy wasted searching for suitable nectar sources during their annual fall migration, thereby optimizing migratory performance and increasing the chance of overwinter survival. The possibility that female monarchs undergo a seasonal change in visual long-term memory warrants further empirical investigation.Each fall, monarch butterflies in eastern North America undergo an extraordinary long-distance migration to wintering areas in central Mexico, where they remain until returning northward in the spring. Migrants survive the overwintering period by metabolizing lipid reserves accumulated exclusively though floral nectar; however, there is little known about how individuals maximize foraging efficiency in the face of floral environments that constantly change in complex and unpredictable ways along their migratory route. Here, a proboscis extension paradigm is used to investigate the role of cognition during the foraging phase of monarch migration. Male and female migratory butterflies were consecutively trained to discriminate between two color and odor cues and then tested for their ability to simultaneously retain the information on the reward value of each cue in memory without reinforcement over a period of 7 days. To gain further insight into cognitive abilities of monarchs as a migratory species, a second set of captive-reared males and females were tested under harnessed conditions at the same time as wild-caught fall migrants. Results showed that male and female migrants can learn the reward properties of color and odor cues with over 75% accuracy after less than 40 s of exposure and can simultaneously retain visual and olfactory information predicting the availability of floral rewards in memory without reinforcement for at least 7 days. Captive-reared male butterflies also showed the ability to retain visual and olfactory information in long-term memory for 7 days; however, 80% of captive-reared females could not retain color cues in long-term memory for more than 24 h. These novel findings are consistent with the view that monarch butterflies, as a migratory species, have enhancements to long-term memory that enable them to minimize the amount of time and energy wasted searching for suitable nectar sources during their annual fall migration, thereby optimizing migratory performance and increasing the chance of overwinter survival. The possibility that female monarchs undergo a seasonal change in visual long-term memory warrants further empirical investigation.

Navigation and Negotiation towards School Success at Upper Secondary School: The Interplay of Structural and Procedural Risk and Protective Factors for Resilience Pathways

Young male migrants, in particular, are at higher risk of not completing upper secondary education and do not have the same opportunities to put their educational resources to use in existing educational contexts. This work examines how socially and structurally disadvantaged male adolescents (migration biography and low SES) can be supported in attaining educational success at the upper secondary level by applying the resilience concept of navigation and negotiation. Within the framework of grounded theory and by a qualitative coding paradigm, we applied an exploratory heuristical approach in order to understand school success under a micro-sociological passage. Data were collected in German-speaking Switzerland as part of the programme’s evaluation, which show, firstly, that inter-individual processes of navigation and negotiation differ depending on the specific people involved and their objectives. Secondly, different forms of development of navigation and negotiation are seen within a single individual, and thirdly, the importance of institutional flexibility becomes apparent when adolescents experience successful processes of navigation or negotiation. The findings are discussed in the context of questions of justice and to their classification within the context of educational and psychological aspects for promoting resilience and on the basis of their overall significance for education policy.

Gendered Migration, Gendered Morality: South Korean Men in Intimate Relationships with Filipinas in the Philippines

This article focuses on Korean male migrants who have heterosexual relationships with local women in the Philippines. Research on sex tourism and interracial partnerships has addressed male partners’ rationalising narratives to disassociate themselves from sex tourists. Yet cases of South Korean male migrants to the Philippines require an additional analytic lens to understand how nation intersects with the realm of intimacy in a transnational context. By highlighting how the South Korean men with Filipina partners have been labelled ‘ugly Koreans’ who are harming the country’s national prestige abroad, this study explores the ways that nationalistic sentiment shapes the moral hierarchy among male migrants inside the diaspora based on their partnership. Furthermore, through an analysis of the narrative strategies of South Korean men with Filipina partners, this paper argues that they do not simply prove their innocence but denounce public surveillance by situating their relationship within the private realm of love.

Learning language and gaining employment: problems for refugee migrants in Australia

PurposeMuslim refugee migrants are a growing ethno-religious disadvantaged minority group in several Western societies, and host-country language proficiency and employment are essential factors in reducing this disadvantage. This paper thus explores the efficacy of English training programs in facilitating the settlement and employment of a group of male Muslim refugees in Australia.Design/methodology/approachThis study is qualitative in nature, with data collected using semi-structured, in-depth interviews with the eight participants in the study. Analysis was conducted using Bourdieu's concepts of field, capital and habitus.FindingsEnglish training programs offered to Australian Muslim men are problematic in their aim of linking them to employment. Areas of concern are identified in respect to the training hours offered, their learning environment, their content and pedagogy, their lack of focus on employment and their failure to recognise the existing work skills of the migrants.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is conducted with a small sample of male Muslim migrants: while the findings may be similar for other refugee groups, further research is necessary to confirm this.Practical implicationsThere is a need to restructure the current English training programs offered to refugee migrants in Australia, Muslim or otherwise. This study identifies several areas where such restructuring might occur, both at the policy and pedagogical levels.Originality/valueFew studies focus on Australian male Muslim migrants. This study enhances understanding of this under-researched group and their struggles to learn English, find employment and rise above their disadvantaged societal position.