At DUO for a JOB, the heart of our mission is to enable young people with an immigration background, often precarious and far from employment, to find their way to the job that suits them. Of these young people, almost half are women. However, it is they, and even more so when they are young and have an immigration background, who are the most precarious and remote from employment.
At DUO for a JOB, we are convinced of the major usefulness of intergenerational mentoring in helping women get out of precariousness, and we explain to you why.
What the numbers tell us
If the mission of DUO for a JOB is also essential, it is because professional integration is a proven challenge for immigrants and the descendants of immigrants, because their unemployment rate (22%) is almost twice as high as that of non-immigrants (12%). However, within this part of the population already weakened in the world of work in France, women are even further away from employment than their male counterparts: only 62% of them have a professional activity, compared to 80% among men.
Between immigrant women and non-immigrant women, the situation is also unquestionable, since the inactivity rate of immigrant women is 33%, compared to 13% among non-immigrant women.
If these figures show such a great difference between immigrant men and women, but also between French women and immigrant women, it is because in addition to being confronted with numerous material obstacles, immigrant women face double discrimination linked to their sex and their origins, which multiplies their difficulties in accessing employment and social integration.
This observation confirms our vision at DUO for a JOB: access to employment for immigrant women is much more difficult than for other groups, and mentoring can be an indispensable key for them to facilitate their search. By giving them the tools to overcome the additional problems that prevent them from focusing on their careers and applications while helping them attract the attention of recruiters, their mentors become the springboard these women need to become fully independent in their professional and personal lives. Mentoring therefore makes it possible to renew this necessary link, and yet all too often non-existent, between young women with an immigration background and the public structures that can help them.
Public policies that are often incomplete
Indeed, women are more vulnerable than men before, during and after their migration, both in terms of security and psychological needs as well as in terms of access to services and rights. However, even though women now represent 52% of newcomers to France, aid policies still do not take into account the particular difficulties that affect migrant women: access to the labour market, professional de-qualification, financial exploitation, precariousness and non-payment of wages, precariousness and non-payment of wages, dependent children, poor working and living conditions, cultural discrimination within the community of origin, restrictions on mobility, abuse, restricted access to health services sexual and reproductive and others. Public policies for the integration of immigrant women in France encounter several challenges and shortcomings that make their effectiveness and visibility insufficient.
First of all, immigrant women in France come from diverse cultural, economic and social backgrounds, which leads to a great diversity of needs and challenges. Public policies often tend to adopt a uniform approach that does not sufficiently take into account this diversity. For example, a woman coming from a country at war could have very different needs from those of a woman coming for economic or family reasons.
At the same time, one of the first steps of integration consists in learning the French language. However, French language courses are not always accessible or adapted to all immigrant women, especially those with family responsibilities or working full time. Additionally, integration programs can sometimes ignore cultural specificities that could help make these courses more effective.
Access to employment is crucial for integration, but many migrant women face major obstacles:
- Recognition of qualifications : Diplomas and professional experiences obtained abroad are not always recognized in France, thus limiting qualified job opportunities.
- Discrimination : Immigrant women may face discrimination in employment because of their origin, name or appearance.
- Double workload : Many migrant women have to juggle employment and family responsibilities, which complicates their professional integration.
At the same time, migrant women may have difficulty accessing essential public services, such as health, education or housing, for several reasons:
- Ignorance of their rights : They may not be fully informed about their rights or the services available.
- Administrative complexity : Administrative procedures in France are often complicated and can be a major obstacle for newcomers.
Immigrant women are particularly vulnerable to domestic violence or other forms of gender-based violence. However, reception and support structures are not always adapted or accessible to these women. They may be hesitant to seek help due to language barriers, fear of losing their residence permit, or distrust of authorities.
Integration also involves the creation of social and community networks. Public policies are not always successful in encouraging or facilitating the participation of immigrant women in community or associative activities, which could help them create social ties and better integrate.
Indeed, women are more vulnerable than men before, during and after their migration, both in terms of security and psychological needs as well as in terms of access to services and rights. However, even though women now represent 52% of newcomers to France, policies still do not take into account the particular difficulties faced by migrant women: access to the labour market, professional de-qualification, financial exploitation, precariousness and non-payment of wages, precariousness and non-payment of wages, dependent children, dependent children, poor working and living conditions, cultural discrimination within the community of origin, restrictions on mobility, abuse, restricted access to sexual health services and reproductive and others.
Mentoring: a driver of independence
At DUO for a JOB, we have been able to observe a significant reduction in the differences in the rate of inactivity between the men and women we support, which shows that mentoring makes it possible to reduce the differences between men and women over time: the inactivity rate for women after support is 23%, while it is 18% for men. The gap is therefore significantly reduced: it goes from a 19% gap between immigrant women and men to only 5%, which shows the importance of the benefits provided by mentoring.
In France, mentoring is a valuable tool for the emancipation of all, and especially young women. In a society where gender inequalities persist, mentoring is one of the most effective ways to support their personal and professional development. The available data highlights the significant benefits of mentoring for young women, and the importance of promoting this form of coaching.
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