Transformation in gender roles of Syrian migrant women participating in the labor market: The case of Mardin

This research examines the experiences of Syrian women, started working in paid employment after they migrated to Turkey due to the civil war that started in Syria in 2011. İn this context, this research, deals with the transformations in the female identity of immigrant women after forced migration, is based on the fact that women experience the migration process differently from men and aims to make gender inequalities in the migration process visible. In the research, the woman-migration relationship was examined on the basis of international migration theories and the concept of gender. The research was conducted with 13 Syrian migrant women who opened a business in the Artuklu and Kızıltepe districts of the city of Mardin and lived as housewives before the forced migration. The narratives collected through in-depth interviews were interpreted. With the information obtained from these narratives from a feminist perspective, the victimization of women in the migration process has been tried to be made visible, while attention has been drawn to the active position of women in the migration process. In this research conducted with qualitative research method, the transforming dynamics of femininity with the forced migration process and the effects of paid work outside the home on this transformation are discussed. In addition, the role of gender in forced migration and adaptation has been presented with the effect of these transformations. Therefore, it is possible to say that femininity identity has undergone various transformations depending on the changing cultural and economic conditions during the forced migration process and these transformations have contributed positively to the adaptation processes of women. The research aims to contribute to the relevant literature by revealing that the migration process is directly structured by gender and gender dynamics in the context of women's specific experiences.