Year of Award

2009

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

Master of Arts (MA)

Degree Name

Geography

Department or School/College

Department of Geography

Committee Chair

Sarah J. Halvorson

Commitee Members

Christiane von Reichert, Ia Iashvili, Lynne Koester

Keywords

(Republic of) Georgia, feminist geography, gender roles, migration, post-Soviet, socio-spatial networks

Publisher

University of Montana

Abstract

This thesis provides an exploration into the experiences and perspectives of Georgian rural women who have migrated to Tbilisi, Georgia. The aim of this paper is to understand the affects of this mobility and migration on Georgian women’s socio-spatial dimensions and what this means for the economic and cultural survival of women in post- Soviet Georgia. Specifically, the research focuses on the spatial availability of family and rural contacts and the use of social safety nets as a coping strategy to aid women in the transition to urban life in Tbilisi. In addition, this paper addresses the role of women in Georgia throughout history and how this has played into the migrants’ decisions to migrate today. Drawing on in-depth interviews of migrant women, migration statistics, feminist migration research, and social capital research, this study builds an understanding of women’s experiences in their migration to the city of Tbilisi and how women manage their linked rural-urban socio-spatial networks.

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© Copyright 2009 Laura S. E. Cahill