From Tajikistan to Russia and Back: Understanding Changes in Gender Relations through the Lived Experiences of Tajik Migrant Workers in Russia
This dissertation examines how gender relations of power change in the context of labour migration through the lived experiences of the migrants. Following the social constructionist epistemology, gender is framed through the lens of post-structural, intersectional, and transnational feminist theories. Twenty-one participating Tajik migrant workers (10 females and 11 males) were interviewed in Russia and in Tajikistan.
Findings highlight a constant tension between the changes and continuities of patriarchal structures in which gender relations are continued and reproduced at the same time as they are transformed, thus creating new forms of gender power relations. This study disputes that labour migration is driven only by economic factors. Without denying the impact of economic factors, the study presents other push and pull factors that place gender relations at the centre of labour migration.
Takhmina Shokirova
Degree: PhD
Status: Completed (2022)
Supervisor: Dr. Martha Kuwee-Kumsa
Department and University: Faculty of Social Work, Wilfrid Laurier University
Email: tshokirova@gmail.com
Link to completed thesis: https://scholars.wlu.ca/etd/2355/