Defense Date

3-25-2013

Graduation Date

Spring 2013

Availability

Immediate Access

Submission Type

thesis

Degree Name

MA

Department

Graduate Center for Social and Public Policy

School

McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts

Committee Chair

Daniel Lieberfeld

Committee Member

Matthew Schneirov

Committee Member

Marco Gemignani

Keywords

Integration, Pittsburgh, Refugees, Resettlement, Women

Abstract

Recently Pittsburgh has experienced a noticeable increase in the number of incoming refugees, which has put added pressure on local service providers to develop more efficient resettlement practices. While female refugee's experiences have been largely ignored, this study attempts to better understand the gender-specific needs of female refugees who resettle and integrate into Pittsburgh. I used Ager and Strang's (2004) Indicators of Integration framework, with a focus on the indicators of "employment," "social bridges," "language and culture," and "rights and citizenship," and adapted it to a gendered perspective to analyze data from two focus group sessions with 11 refugee women from Liberia, Bhutan, Burma, Iraq, and Morocco. I used an exploratory, inductive methodology to identify common themes, including women's changing roles within families and the importance of social connections. A better understanding of women's needs will help inform the local refugee-serving agencies create more gender-inclusive services.

Format

PDF

Language

English

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