The everyday life experiences of immigrant women are attracting attention from planners attempting to understand how diverse groups of people relate to their new living places. This presentation examines the everyday life experiences of immigrant women from developing to developed countries. In particular it traces the everyday life experiences of women from Afghanistan in the city of Auckland, New Zealand. This research applies a critical perspective on the dichotomized understating of Afghan women’s use and appropriation of places in the city through emphasizing the different identification processes of these women in these places. I argue that everyday life experiences of immigrant women are shaped through their different understanding of places as constructed in their culture. According to a fieldwork study in Auckland, Afghan women from different generations of immigrants use and appropriate places in the city based on their cultural values. Their sense of belonging to different places is created through their communal uses and activities in those places. Subsequently “thirdspace” is introduced as the alternative space that Afghan women create as they experience their everyday lives in the place of host society. This space is a conceptual space in the host society which is created through everyday life experiences of these women who act and interact with places in the city in a way that is not completely aligned either with Afghan cultural values or the existing norms of the host society. It confronts the way that marginalization is applied as a universal notion to the position of these women in the city.

1. Title of presentation
Author 1
Author 2
Author 3
THE EVERYDAY LIFE OF
IMMIGRANT WOMEN
AS A STRUGGLE TO
CREATE THEIR OWN
LIVING PLACES?
Roja Tafaroji
Professor Dory Reeves

2. In the context of GenderSTE
• The perspective of the ‘outsider’ in order to contribute to our
understanding of changing societies during last globalization period.
• The challenges and opportunities which are based on different insights
and experiences of newcomers. It is particularly in accordance with giving
better definitions of marginalization and identification process of
immigrants in their new place.

3. Difference and Marginalized Women
• The epistemology of difference by feminist theories
3

4. • The epistemology of difference by feminist theories
- Rational Feminism (based on Liberal political theories):
Relying on the feminist insight originally introduced by Simone De Beauvoir (1949), women as a group had been socially defined
as the “other”.
- Postmodern Feminism:
Nancy Fraser and Judith Butler insist on studying the differences within the gender and criticizing “the category of gender
identity”.
- The Feminist Standpoint Theory:
Sandra Harding (1986), explains the importance of recognizing sameness and difference between women. She posits that
women’s sameness comes from their “otherness” which has been assigned by men. She also points out differences between
women based on where they come from and belong to.
4
Difference and Marginalized Women

5. Figure1. TotalPopulation of Immigrants at mid-year2013 by region (thousands)
Source: (United Nations. Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, 2013)
WORLD ASIA EUROPE
LATIN
AMERICA
AND THE
CARIBBEAN
NORTHERN
AMERICA
OCEANIA AFRICA
Total 7 162 119 4 298 723 742 452 616 645 355 361 38 304 1 110 635
Female 3 551 649 2 098 612 384 925 313 273 180 346 19 146 555 346
0
1 000
2 000
3 000
4 000
5 000
6 000
7 000
8 000
Thousands
5
Immigration and Women

6. Figure2.Femalemigrants asapercentageof theinternational migrant stockby regionandarea,2013
Source: (United Nations. Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, 2013)
48.0
41.6
51.9
51.6
51.2
50.2
45.9
WORLD
ASIA
EUROPE
LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN
NORTHERN AMERICA
OCEANIA
AFRICA
6
Immigration and Women

7. Figure 3. Religious Composition of International Migrants by percentage and estimated numbers of
all migrants who belong to each religious group
7
Immigration and Women

8. Table 1. Muslim Population by Region 2012
Source: (Pew Research Religion and Public Life Project, 2012)
8
Estimated 2010
Muslim
Population
Estimated 2010
Total Population
Percentage of
Population that is
Muslim
Asia-Pacific 985,530,000 4,054,990,000 24.3%
Middle East-North
Africa
317,070,000 341,020,000 93.0
Sub-Saharan Africa 248,110,000 822,720,000 30.2
Europe 43,490,000 742,550,000 5.9
North America 3,480,000 344,530,000 1.0
Latin America-
Caribbean
840,000 590,080,000 0.1
World Total 1,598,510,000 6,895,890,000 23.2
Muslim Population by Region

9. Figure 4. Populations of Afghan Immigrants by Country of Destination, mid-2013
Estimates
Source: (Migration Policy Institute, 2013)
9
Afghan Immigrants in Developed Regions

10. 10
Afghan Women as Immigrants

11. • Social Relations
• Religion
• Culture,
• Domination, Subordination, and Masculinity
Source: (Bhanji, 2011; Khan, 2002; Lipson & Miller, 1994; Rostami-Povey, 2007)
11
Afghan Women’s Gender Identity

12. • From a Collective Culture
Afghan Women’s Gender Identity

13. • From a Collective Culture
Afghan Women’s Gender Identity

14. • From a Collective Culture
Afghan Women’s Gender Identity

15. • To a Liberal Culture (Individualism)
Afghan Women’s Gender Identity

16. Afghan Women’s Gender Identity
• To a Liberal Culture (Individualism)

17. 17
• Creating the place of Identification and Belonging within the locals’ place
Public
Life
Private
Life
Women Redefining Difference

18. • Ethic of Care
Women’s primacy of their concern for people whom they feel
responsible.
Women’s attachment to their surroundings is shaped through their
attachment to the people in their surrounding environment
whom they feel responsible towards them.
Afghan immigrant women spend most of their day-time interacting
with the people around themselves.
18
Women Redefining Difference

19. • Reliving Memory
19
Women Redefining Difference

20. • Meaning of everyday life
Piotr Sztompka(2008) clarifies the concept of “everyday life”:
- as the observable manifestation of social existence,
- as the cyclical and rhythmic event over a variety of time periods,
- as being ritualized and habitual,
- as being engaged with others to participate in activities,
- as having a certain temporal duration,
- as the semi-conscious/unconscious event , and
- as being localized in particular spaces.
20
Everyday life and Resistance

21. Difference
Afghan
Immigrant
Women
Resistance
Everyday Life
Experience
Re-
actualization
of Memories
Integration
and
Identification
Ethic of Care
and
Attachment
Developed
Societies
21
Everyday life and Resistance

22. • “Third Space” as an in-between position,
• “Locations of Struggle” in “Communities of
Resistance”, and
• “Political Space”
22
Source: (Lefebvre, 1991; Keith et al., 1993)
Discussion and Conclusion

23. • Understanding Difference leads to creation of
better quality living spaces within the urban
context.
23
Discussion and Conclusion