“I always knew I could only rely on myself”: Gendered dimensions of Ukrainian women's labor migration to Israel

Abstract

This article examines the gendered dimensions of pre-war labor migration among Ukrainian women in Israel, focusing on their decisions to migrate to Israel, employment experiences, transnational caregiving roles, and remittance practices in the context of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Drawing on 26 in-depth interviews and participant observations at a Ukrainian church in Jaffa, the study explores the lived experience of Ukrainian female migrants who arrived in Israel before the war and whose return has been indefinitely postponed due to the ongoing conflict.

The findings highlight the complex relationship between systemic marginalization and the exercise of agency by migrant women. Despite their professional backgrounds, Ukrainian women are funneled into precarious employment and excluded from access to social protections. Nevertheless, they demonstrate resilience, autonomy, and a sense of purposeful sacrifice in pursuing a better future for their families and themselves. By situating Ukrainian women's migration within broader theoretical discussions of feminized migration, remittance economies, and war-driven displacement, this article contributes to the understanding of how mobility, gender, and geopolitical crisis intersect. It ultimately shows how migrant women navigate, challenge, and at times resist gendered roles, legal constraints, and geopolitical conditions shaped by both their home and host societies.