CASI Student Research Seminar

March 26, 2015

1. The Concept of a «Good Girl» and a «Bad Girl» in the Context of Labor Migration from Kyrgyzstan to Russia

Presenter: Gulniza Taalaibekova, Senior, CASI Student Research Seminar

2. “Re-entering” experience among labor migrants in Kyrgyzstan: Issues of Readjustment and Stigmatization

Presenter: Nazgul Irisova, Senior, Psychology Department, AUCA

Abstracts:

The Concept of a «Good Girl» and a «Bad Girl» in the Context of Labor Migration from Kyrgyzstan to Russia

It is well known that the number of young girls, who are travelling from Kyrgyzstan to Russia as labor migrants, has been increasing lately. Some of them have not even been to Bishkek or other big cities in Kyrgyzstan, and when they arrive in Moscow, they face many obstacles such as language barrier, culture shock, discrimination, sexism, and even violence as in the case with the criminal group of “Patrioty”. Their struggles are not limited to Russia only, when they come back home to Kyrgyzstan they are stigmatized as “bad” girls (жаман кыз). Besides, this general information there has been little research done on this phenomenon and little is known about lives of young female migrants in Russia. “The concept of a «good girl» and a «bad girl» in the context of labor migration from Kyrgyzstan to Russia” will contribute greatly to the understanding of gender and youth issues. Also, my research will contribute to understanding more about lives of young female migrants and obstacles they face as migrants: female migrants, who are not married yet. However, my research is not limited to problems of young female migrants only.

“Re-entering” experience among labor migrants in Kyrgyzstan: Issues of Readjustment and Stigmatization

This research is about experience of reintegrating among female labor migrants upon returning to Kyrgyzstan from Russia. The main goal of the research is to learn about women’s internal and external stigmatization toward female labor migrants from local population. The main research questions are “What are the processes of readjustment of female labor migrants?” and “Is there any stigma toward female labor migrants in Kyrgyzstan?”

One of the main reasons of active migration process is unemployment and competitiveness of people to find a job in Kyrgyzstan. Migration became the only choice to many people in order to feed the families (UN Women, 2012). Labor migration also gives new opportunities to women as career development, education, motivation to work and independence. However, female labor migrants face such an issue as “stigmatization” especially young single ladies. It is important to research this field because in Kyrgyzstan studies on Internal or External stigmatization have not been done yet and lack of state support to labor migrants.

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