Evidence from Interventions to Improve the Economic Self-Sufficiency of Refugee Women

Abstract

This helpdesk report details some of the notable labour market integration and entrepreneurship programmes implemented to improve the economic self-sufficiency of refugee women in the UK and other wealthy countries. On average, it takes much longer for refugee women to establish a foothold in the labour market – relative to refugee men. In the UK (and several other rich countries – e.g. EU member states), there has been a long-standing interest in boosting entrepreneurship as a way of driving job creation and economic growth among disadvantaged groups. It should be stressed that most of the programmes targeting the economic self-sufficiency of refugee women are run by NGOs, although they can be often financed by government agencies working on employment, migrants and refugees. Some of the key findings gathered from different countries have shown that such programmes are successful in improving the economic self-sufficiency of refugee women.