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| Gaye Yilmaz |
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| Sue Ledwith |
Women may migrate to escape conflict, war, poverty, family pressures and responsibilities, or fear of sexual oppression. But they also find themselves caught in the twin controlling ideologies of patriarchy and religion.This was the case for the 120 women migrants interviewed for our book Migration and Domestic Work. All were domestic workers in private households in London, Berlin or Istanbul. Most were either Muslim (52) or Christian (44). A handful were Buddhist, Hindu or Pagan. Twenty atheists had come to disbelief from the two main religions.
Data was collected through interviews, visits and observations in all three cities. These took place in the homes where the women were employed, in ethnic and community organisations, and in employment agencies. The research was designed for women to tell their stories and to establish their agency. An allied purpose was to explore collective solidarities among the migrant women. The interviewees included Kurdish women, who are an under-researched group. A creative research reciprocity was developed: the researcher, Gaye Yilmaz, taught Marxist economics in community organisations in London and Berlin.
