Examining the Influence of Identity, Work, and Educational Experience on Successful Integration: An Exploratory Study on Female Afghan Refugees Living in Hamburg, Germany

The successful integration of refugees into EU society, labor markets, and the education system has been a difficult path fraught with existing prejudices and institutional barriers. While there has been an abundance of largely positive conversation regarding refugee policies and new integration programs for refugees in Germany, there is still an absence of consideration for female refugees and their challenges to participate in German socio-economic and socio-cultural realms. Viewing these obstacles within a gender-specific lens provides insight into the factors which hinder overall participation in German society. Utilizing quantitative and qualitative findings from an online survey conducted with 15 female. Afghan refugees living in Hamburg, Germany, this paper seeks to understand the degree at which social identity and social connection, labor experiences, and individual educational background inform female Afghan refugees’ relationship to integration. This study will argue three cases: 1) the reconstruction of refugees’ social identity and development of social connection with the host-country optimizes integration, 2) labor market participation serves as a positive tool for the integration of refugees, and 3) formal education in the host-country is an effective avenue for the successful integration of refugees. This argument will be supported by several theoretical concepts which explain certain integration phenomena, and by viewing each determinant within the lens of its relevant literature.