Interviewing Polish Migrant Women in the United Kingdom and Poland

Duda-Mikulin, EA (2014) Interviewing Polish Migrant Women in the United Kingdom and Poland. In: SAGE Research Methods Cases. SAGE Publications.

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Abstract

Migration from the ‘new’ European Union Member States to the United Kingdom has been identified as one of the most significant social phenomena of recent times. Evidence shows that migrant women constitute a large proportion of international migrants. When considering migration within the European context, migrant women outnumber their male counterparts. Even though gendered studies of migration are now attaining recognition, there is limited literature in relation to Polish migrant women. Drawing on preliminary findings from new fieldwork research undertaken in Poland and the United Kingdom in 2012, this case study focuses on research undertaken to explore how Polish migrant women exercise their rights as European Union citizens to better their own and their families' well-being. This is a qualitative research study conducted with the use of in-depth semi-structured interviews. This case study focuses on sampling, recruitment issues and challenges encountered in the data collection process. The benefits of studying depth, of the active involvement of the researcher and the researcher's relationship with the participants and the data are explored. This case study showcases issues relating to reflexivity as the research was conducted from a gendered perspective. The data gathered was analysed using thematic analysis.