1st Istanbul International Geography Congress Proceedings Book
Spatial choices of women immigrants from ex-Soviet countries: the example of Izmir
Hatice Begüm Kamış, Selver Özözen KahramanIn the 1990s, migration of women began from the newly independent ex-Soviet states to Turkic communities. This is because the fall of the USSR led to economic upheaval and mass unemployment, owing to the sudden onset of globalization. In our study, regarding migrant women, we investigated cluster areas, spatial preferences, residential difficulties, reasons for their preferences, their need for invasive testing venues related to the need to seek employment through the duration of their stay in Turkey and Izmir, and the challenges they face while migrating, thereby demonstrating the effects of space in relation to all of these in women migrants in Izmir. Embedded theory, a qualitative data method, was used with 18 female migrants. It was found that the place of origin of migrants has an effect on their employment. Immigration status is a further addition to challenges for the identity of migrating women. It was found that immigrants come to İzmir because they consider it to be a safe and peaceful city. İzmir is rated among the top 10 cities for female immigrants owing to its socioeconomic structure. It is predicted that migration flows will increase if there is no state support in care services.