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The Joint Research Project

Are there differences in the reception and integration of female and male refugees in Germany? What challenges do female refugees face? Media coverage on sexual violence in refugee accommodations has drawn attention to situations of insecurity and vulnerability among female refugees in particular. Women face particular challenges, not only with regard to the reception of refugees, but also in options for public support and measures taken on their behalf. Politics, organizations, and institutions of support have discussed for some time the consequences of these differences. Several municipalities have introduced specific programs for female refugees. However, very little research has so far been done regarding the forms and the extent of these circumstances, and the consequences for refugee women.

The “Gender, Forced Migration & Politics of Reception: Processes of Gendered Inclusion and Exclusion in Lower Saxony” joint research project takes these thematic considerations as a starting point and asks in which way gender-specific projects for female refugees are useful and for whom, and which conflicts and contradictions emerge through political references to gender.

The aim of the project is to investigate in four subprojects processes of gendered inclusion and exclusion in reception and integration politics, as well as in media coverage in selected locations in Lower Saxony. A thematic range of politics of reception and integration will be taken into account, including the specific circumstances, processes, and public discourses related to support structures, family, and sexual violence as well as to the labor market. The results of the analysis will contribute to the understanding of forced migration in today’s society.

The joint research project is carried out by the Institute for Migration Research and Intercultural Studies (IMIS) at the University of Osnabrück, the Institute for Cultural Anthropology/European Ethnology and the Göttingen Center for Gender Studies (GCG) at the University of Göttingen, as well as the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research on Women and Gender (ZFG) at the University of Oldenburg.

This project runs from 2017 to 2020 and is funded with a total of around €500,000 by the Ministry of Science and Culture of Lower Saxony (MWK) within the framework of the “Gender – Power – Knowledge” program.