Carla De Tona, in collaboration with Dr Atinder Pal Kaur, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, India
Indian migration to Italy, with over 150,000 regular residents, is the second largest in Europe (after the UK), and the fifth largest in Italy among non-EU migrant communities (Ministero del lavoro 2022). The Indian presence is steadily growing, with signs of stabilization and integration, but little is known about these communities – except for the growing evidence of the harsh cases of exploitation and discrimination, especially for those working in the agricultural and dairy sector (Omizzolo 2017, 2022). Even less is known about Indian female migration, which often remains invisible and undertheorized (Christou and Kofman 2022).
This exploratory qualitative study is based on in-depth life-story interviews with a diverse group of Indian women (by age, education and profession, cast and religion). It explores how migration culture embedded in Indian families becomes generational and affects women who have to handle family responsibilities and pressures and aspire to move to Italy. It looks at the transnational networks and belongings that sustain women’s (family) migration projects. It also looks at how Indian migrant women, who settle in Italy, face triple discrimination based on gender, racialized/ethnic belonging and exploitive working conditions.