Women seeking asylum in Italy: vulnerabilities beyond the achievement of the residence permit

This thesis investigates the persistence of vulnerability among migrant women seeking asylum in Italy, with a particular focus on the gap between formal recognition through international protection and the actual achievement of autonomy and social inclusion. Although female migration has become increasingly significant over the past decades, it has often been interpreted as secondary to male migration, both in political debate and in migration policies. Women are frequently framed through stereotypical notions of “female vulnerability”, such as victims of trafficking, sexual violence, or forced marriage, while other forms of marginalization, such as poverty, isolation, or psychological fragility, remain largely overlooked. The central research question asks whether international protection alone can guarantee migrant women an effective way out of structural vulnerability. The hypothesis guiding this work is that the residence permit, while necessary, is insufficient to ensure an autonomous and sustainable migration trajectory for women in Italy. Methodologically, the thesis uses a critical policy approach, which interprets migration and asylum policies as political and cultural devices that construct and hierarchize vulnerability. Empirical support is provided through gender-disaggregated data from ISTAT, the Italian Ministry of the Interior, ILO, and UNHCR, as well as reports and studies on female employment and integration in Italy. The analysis highlights that: women, although sometimes procedurally advantaged as “vulnerable subjects,” are later left without adequate structural support. Once international protection is granted, many remain confined to low-skilled, precarious, and gender-segregated labor sectors, primarily domestic and care work, with limited access to real autonomy. This reflects the persistence of an institutional void in the post-protection phase, where responsibilities for inclusion are diffuse and insufficient. By critically reassessing the selective recognition of vulnerability and its implications, this thesis argues for a shift from emergency-based and gender-blind responses to an intersectional and structural approach to protection. Only by recognising refugee women as autonomous subjects, rather than as passive beneficiaries, can international protection become an instrument for genuine empowerment and inclusion.