Highly educated and/or skilled migrants from third countries and self-employment in Greece: a comparison between men’s and women’s experiences

Abstract

This chapter explores how highly educated migrants from Third World countries come to Greece and, after taking the plunge into low paying jobs in the informal economy, become self-employed. In running a business both men and women struggle against exclusion and towards inclusion, gain control over their work situation (income, work hours) and find emotional satisfaction and self-fulfillment. By comparing migrant women’s experiences to those of men, I show how women, unlike men, experience this not only as ‘survival’ strategy or an action driven by economic necessity embedded within existing economic and socio-political structures, but also as a ‘wish for independence’ or an ‘escape’ from potential abuse and harassment, which in turn harbors important subjective meaning for selfemployed migrant woman. Although it is very difficult to draw a clear cut distinction between value and disadvantaged entrepreneurs, I will show that the women here are to be distinguished in Valenzuela’s (2001, p. 339) terminology as value entrepreneurs, as opposed to the men interviewed who more often fall into the category of disadvantaged entrepreneur.