Gendered Decision-Making in Migration: Syrian Turkmen and Arab Women Between Return and Resettlement

This research investigates the decision-making processes of Syrian Turkmen and Arab women as they face the choice of returning to post-conflict Syria or settling permanently in Turkey. By concentrating on a group that has received little attention—Syrian Turkmen women—the study addresses a significant gap in migration literature, which often overlooks their specific experiences and agency. Through qualitative methods, including in-depth interviews and ethnographic observations in Kilis, the research delves into how gender, ethnicity, and socio-economic factors shape these decisions. It examines how these women navigate the complexities of victimhood and agency, balancing cultural preservation, security concerns, and economic aspirations. The findings seek to challenge the binary perception of migrant women as either victims or passive dependents by emphasizing their active participation in community-building and adaptation. Additionally, the project highlights the relevance of local dynamics and everyday practices in understanding broader migration and gender policy frameworks. This research enriches feminist international relations and migration studies by providing a micro-level analysis of women’s lived experiences, enhancing theoretical discussions on agency, ethnicity, and decision-making in post-conflict migration contexts. This research is proceeded, and the data is planned to be collected until the conference, thus it is aimed that the findings will be presented in the 2025 ECPR conferences.