Migration of high-qualified Turkish women from Türkiye: Deskilling & new opportunities

This thesis focuses on the post-migration experiences of highly qualified immigrant women from Türkiye. Based on the social media group called "Migrant Women," the reasons for the migration of qualified immigrant women, the issues they have difficulty with after migration, the process of re-entering business life after migration, and their future perspectives were examined. The interviews with 15 people were evaluated from an intersectional perspective on Bourdieu's concept of capital. In addition, women's marriage, children, divorce, and similar processes and their effects on women's lives before and after migration have been tried to be understood with the concept of 'vital conjunctures' of Johnson-Hanks. It was evident from the interviews that the women faced numerous challenges after migration. These included a lack of language skills, discriminatory attitudes and behaviors, a deficit in social connections, and the emotional toll of loneliness and deskilling. To counter the loss of social capital, highly qualified migrant women form social media groups, such as the Migrant Women group. Highly qualified immigrant women have shown impressive initiative in the face of deskilling after migration. They have taken the lead in starting new training programs, driven by their plans for migration, displaying their ability to take charge of their own adaptation. It has also been observed that the validity of these capitals after migration varies depending on variables such as race and gender, shedding light on the intricate and multifaceted dynamics of post-migration experiences.