Paper proposal for the session “Ethnicity and Migration”

Immigrant women from India, Nepal and Sri Lanka in Finland

Lalita Gola, M.Sc.

Finnish Family Federation

Population Research Institute

P.O. Box 849, 00101 Helsinki

Finland

lalita.gola@vaestoliitto.fi

Tuomas Martikainen, Ph.D.

Finnish Family Federation

Population Research Institute

P.O. Box 849, 00101 Helsinki

Finland

tuomas.martikainen@vaestoliitto.fi

There lived 2473 women born in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka and altogether 1804 nationals from these countries in Finland in 2004. Of these groups were 972 women (39%). The majority of them are in the working age (Statistics Finland, 2005). People from the Indian subcontinent are a new and growing immigrant group in Finland, and also its male dominance reflects this. Among the group are also ca. 200 adopted children (Parviainen, 2003).

At the Population Research Institute of the Finnish Family Federation is running a one-year research project, where the life situations of women and families from India, Nepal and Sri Lanka are in focus. The issue had not been previously studied in Finland. Within the target group are refugees, work migrant and family migrants. The main researcher of the study is M.Sc. Lalita Gola and she is supervised by Ph.D. Tuomas Martikainen. The theoretical framework of the study is based on topical research on ethnicity and international migration, including transnational families (Bryceson & Vuorela, 2002) and integration through work (Forsander, 2002).

The study is on based on ca. 25 qualitative, semi-structured interviews with both female migrants and various organisations working with them. The qualitative case study addresses the following questions: the process of migration (why and how Finland became the target country), transnationalism (how transnational relations affect life in Finland), family situation (how the family situation affect opportunities for work), ethnic community (what is the role of ethnic networks), relationship to Finnish society (experiences of Finland), current work status and expectations for future.

The paper will present the main finding of the study based on the analyses of the interviews that were conducted in spring 2006. The final report will be published later in 2006.

Bryceson, Deborah & Vuorela, Ulla (2002) The Transnational Family. Oxford: Berg.

Forsander, Annika (2002) Luottamuksen ehdot. Helsinki: Väestöliitto.

Parviainen, Heikki (2003) Kansainvälinen adoptiotoiminta Suomessa. Helsinki: Väestöliitto.

Statistics Finland (2005) Population statistics. Helsinki.