International migration and feminism

The concept of international migration has existed as an influential phenomenon in the political, social and economic fields of countries since the establishment of nation states. International migration, until the 1970s, has been studied with theories and studies in which the masculine perspective is dominant, as in many disciplines. After the 1970s, the number of women who migrated increased due to reasons such as globalization, neoliberal policies, collapse in the welfare state, increasing poverty, war and political impotence. It was stated that understanding the concept of gender in migration is critical in the context of feminist discourses, and that the concept of gender would be useful for a better analysis of the migration process that female immigrants experience differently from male immigrants. With the increasing migration rate, the concept of feminization of migration has also entered the literature. In international migration, the concept of gender is missing and this deficiency prevents the studies from reaching holistic and correct results. As a complex concept, migration should be examined from a gender perspective. Making visible what women immigrants experience during the migration process, their psychological and physical conditions, living conditions, employment rates, security and discrimination they are exposed to, and the violence and threat they are exposed to is only possible by understanding the concept of gender and adding it to the studies. Keywords: Feminism, Feminization of Migration, İnternational Migration, Security, Women's Migration