Proceedings of the 8th World Conference on Qualitative Research

Over the last decade, countries worldwide have received significant increase in numbers of refugees, with a massive displacement of refugee women. Refugee women are particularly vulnerable, even more than other migrant women, and refugee men because they have different values and diverse belief systems and due to their social, cultural, political, and personal identities . Policymakers are increasingly focusing on their employment and economic integration, and most agree that employment is critical for both refugee women and labor market outcomes and to offer these women the same privileges, opportunities, rights, and freedoms in their new host countries.
Research questions:
1. What are the rate and predictors of refugee women’s employment and economic inclusion in their new host country? (Quantitative question)
2. How do refugee women describe their experiences of employment and economic inclusion, employment barriers and facilitators, and the impact on their health and wellbeing in their new host country? (Qualitative question)

Method: This review draws from Sandelowski’s (2006) segregated approach from the Joanna Briggs Institute’s (JBI) Mixed Methods Systematic Reviews.
Results: The Meaning and Significance of Employment, Barriers to Employment and Facilitators and Coping Strategies emerged as common themes from the qualitative part. Demographic and Well-being Factors, Societal and Cultural Factors and Availability of Government and non-Governmental Resources emerged from the quantitative analysis.
Conclusion &implications: We found a number of sociocultural, personal, political, and environmental factors playing crucial roles in shaping these outcomes. This understanding underscores the importance of multifaceted approaches in designing interventions, policies, employment models, and strategies aimed at enhancing refugee women’s economic empowerment. The insights derived from our review have significant implications for policy, practice, education, and research, emphasizing the need for coordinated efforts across these domains to improve refugee women’s economic participation.