Youth migration and life course transitions: Comparing the impact of women’s mobility across generations in Bulgaria

Abstract

Migration abroad has become a significant part of the life experiences of a growing number of Bulgarian youths, since the regime change in 1989. In this paper we explore the effect of migration on the life transitions of two generations of young Bulgarians - the ?Transition? generation o f those who had their formative years in the 1990s during the country?s transition from state socialism to a market economy and the ?Accession? generation of those who grew up after the country joined the EU in 2007 in a somewhat better economic situation. Taking into consideration the impact of the social context in the sending country in two different historical periods (before and after 2007) a nd in the receiving countries we focus on the differences of the transition paths of lower and higher skilled female migrants within the two migrant generations. The paper draws on a data base of 42 qualitative interviews with Bulgarian migrants living in EU countries that were conducted in 2017 and an in -depth analysis of the life trajectories of four women belonging to the two migrant generations. Our findings suggest that facing different structural constraints in their countries of departure and reception, young people employ diverse strategies of settling down, achieving success and attaining happiness. In the process they transform their social ties and national identities.