Background

More than 500,000 girls and women have sought refuge in Germany between 2012 and 2016. In 2017, 40% of all asylum seekers were women. The most important countries of origin are Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq. According to a study conducted by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) most of the women are young and highly motivated to participate in German society and economy, yet they tend to lack vocational training and have significantly less experience in the formal job market in their countries of origin. Consequently, participation of female refugees in Germany is significantly lower compared to that of male refugees and also to that of other population groups. At the same time, the extent of part-time and marginal employment is higher and clearly concentrated in certain sectors, including the cleaning business and the tourism, hotel and catering industry. The study has also found, that female refugees attend the nationwide integration courses less frequently and with greater delay after their arrival in Germany. Women generally assess their German language skills as weaker than men do, which is probably because they have fewer opportunities for using the German language. The study concludes, that both, access to vocational training and the attendance of integration courses, constitutes a barrier for female refugees. Yet once they have taken the first steps, the measurable success in completing educational programmes is comparable to that of men.