Challenges, Resources and Ethnic Identity Negotiation: The Perspective of Immigrant Women

In this chapter, we will address the issue of migration from women’s point of view. This study will consider the literature on reasons related to migration choices by considering gender differences. Furthermore, it will address the issue of acculturation, its relationship with well-being, and the stress of acculturation. Within this framework, we will discuss how immigrant women address the process of acculturation through the negotiation of their ethnic identity. The aim of this study was to understand the psychological, personal and relational dimensions of the acculturation process of immigrant working women in Italy. Additional objectives were to understand these women’s motivations for leaving their country of origin, to comprehend the challenges and resources used to address social and employment socialization, and to explore the ethnic identity negotiation of these women in their new country. One hundred and twenty immigrant working women participated in this study. A qualitative approach using in-depth interviews was employed. The guide topics were related to the motivations that led women to immigrate to Italy, the challenges they faced, the strategies used to overcome their problems and the process of ethnic identity negotiation. The analysis of the transcripts using NVivo 9 software revealed recurring themes presented in four models. The first indicates the motivations that led women to undertake migration. The second defines the challenges that immigrant women face in the new context. The third presents the resources used by women during the acculturation processes. Finally, the fourth represents ethnic identity negotiation processes.