| Summary/Abstract |
Most of the literature on gender and forced migration has focused on vulnerability, highlighting a lack of agency among refugee women during periods of displacement. This paper takes a different approach, exploring instead the factors that influence refugee women’s agency within contexts of adversity and vulnerability, through a small case study of Syrian refugee women in Amman, Jordan. It addresses gender, forced migration and economic empowerment using a womanist approach and a lens of intersectionality Semi-structured individual and focus group interviews were carried out with humanitarian professionals and economically active Syrian refugee women. Findings illustrate the many ways that these women manage their lives and build resilience in themselves, their families, and their communities, despite their displacement, using strategies which emanate from their collective cultural context rather than oppose it. Findings also highlight the space created by displacement which opens opportunities to Syrian refugee women, rather than only obstacles. We argue that the profession of social work is in a good position to take forward learning from the study to support these transformative processes.
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