In the Netherlands young migrants from non-western backgrounds are in a disadvantaged position when it comes to schooling and employment. They are concentrated in the lower segments of education, have higher dropout and are more often unemployment than their native counterparts. However, there are clear differences between the experiences of different groups of migrants and between boys and girls. In general migrant girls outperform boys in education. Additionally they are also more satisfied with their school life. Interestingly this advantage in education is not always being translated to the labour market. Labour market participation is particularly low among non-western migrant women and a recent local report showed that less than 25% of the Turkish and Moroccan young women of 25-34 years old and living in Amsterdam are financially independent. In our paper we discuss why migrant girls are performing better in education and more satisfied with their school life than migrant boys. We examine differences between ethnic groups and genders in school choice, school dropout, motivation for school, school support and labour market expectations. We will make use of the results from our survey TRESEGY 2009, for which we conducted data among 608 native Dutch and migrant youngsters in secondary vocational education and additional qualitative data. We assume that non-western migrant girls are part of a larger emancipatory process. Within one generation chances for schooling and labour market participation changed rapidly for these girls. In education they seem to take their chances, but in employment there are still many obstacles for participation. Possible obstacles are discriminatory practices and traditional gender views concerning marriage and the family. We also discuss the institutional context of the Dutch school system and labour market and how this context may influence the school and labour market prospects/experiences of young migrant boys and girls differently.
