Social Risks in Successful Educational Careers of Young Female Immigrants in the German Education System: Coping Strategies, Self‐Help and Support Services

Abstract

Education and employment are important elements of successful integration for immigrants in a host country. In Germany, young immigrants and members of the second immigrant generation have only limited access to higher education pathways and academic careers. Their trajectories are shaped mainly by the vocational training system, if they obtain any qualifications at all. Social risks for young people with immigrant backgrounds, and women in particular, such as being unemployed or having unstable careers, have frequently been pointed out by researchers, but little has been said about more qualified pathways available through privileged apprenticeships or academic qualifications. This article explores the social risks in trajectories of female immigrants following middle‐range or higher educational pathways in Germany. The cases discussed focus on young women who arrived in Germany during childhood or adolescence. The paper will first discuss the institutional settings of the German education system, focusing on their impact on pupils with immigrant backgrounds and how they overlap with existing gender inequalities in the recipient country. Discussion of the particular methodological approach will follow, before presentation of the findings of the case studies on female immigrants' transitions from education to work. The concluding discussion considers potential means to support participation in education and work for young women with immigrant backgrounds.

Citation

Schittenhelm, K. (2009), "Social Risks in Successful Educational Careers of Young Female Immigrants in the German Education System: Coping Strategies, Self‐Help and Support Services", International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care, Vol. 5 No. 3, pp. 3-16. https://doi.org/10.5042/ijmhsc.2010.0048