The Gender Perspective in Ukrainian Migration

Abstract

Research on post-independence Ukrainian migration to the EU has seen a proliferation of qualitative works on women in migration. In Ukraine gendered analysis often bears a very narrow interpretation, in which gendered stands for female, while female stands for familial or emotional. Thus the migration debate is hijacked by a narrow understanding of gender as female migration. In other words, women, children and the familial sphere remain within the domain of gendered enquiries, while men and women outside families seem untouched by the gender discussion of Ukrainian migration. This chapter maps the development of gender perspectives in the explorations of Ukrainian labour migration to the EU and provides a critique of the shortcomings of the gendered analysis, while offering an agenda for further enquiries.