By Ilaria Biancacci
Migration is too often framed in broad, depersonalised terms — numbers crossing borders, policies debated in distant chambers, political rhetoric describing ‘flows’ of people. Yet behind this vast human movement lies a deeply gendered reality. Women and gender-diverse migrants face challenges that differ profoundly from those experienced by men, yet the systems governing migration remain stubbornly blind to these truths. From sexual violence along perilous routes to exclusion from economic opportunity and political participation, migrant women’s rights are persistently sidelined.
Globally, women and girls make up nearly half of all refugees and displaced persons. According to UNHCR, about 50% of refugees worldwide are women and girls, many fleeing not just conflict but targeted repression—stories intricately linked to gender-based violence and systemic inequality. Yet despite their numbers and vulnerabilities, media coverage continues to marginalise these voices. A 2024 study published in the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies found that out of over 13,500 videos produced by mainstream news outlets worldwide, fewer than 1,100 even mentioned female refugees. When covered, women are rarely seen or heard as individuals—instead reduced to faceless groups, stripped of agency and nuance.
This stark underrepresentation is far more than a journalistic oversight—it fuels harmful stereotypes and deepens the invisibility of migrant women. Sensational headlines often focus on extreme victimisation—rape, trafficking, exploitation—sometimes necessary to highlight urgent abuses but too frequently at the expense of women’s autonomy in telling their own stories. Such coverage risks exploiting trauma rather than fostering genuine empathy, reducing complex lives to spectacles of suffering.
In the UK, these issues manifest in particularly troubling ways. Migrant women navigate a labyrinth of legal barriers, economic insecurity, social isolation, and persistent threats of gender-based violence. A 2020 report from the Women’s Budget Group highlights how migrant women in the UK are more likely than men to experience economic dependency and have less access to safety nets, compounded by intersecting discrimination based on gender, race, and immigration status. Yet their voices remain marginalised in national debates and media narratives, where migrants are often portrayed through a toxic blend of sexism, racism, and xenophobia.
The media’s failure to represent migrant women authentically doesn’t just silence them—it shapes public perception and policy in ways that ignore their urgent needs. When women’s migration experiences are reduced to victimhood or erased altogether, it becomes easier for policymakers to overlook their rights to healthcare, legal protection, and economic empowerment. Without sustained, nuanced reporting, the advocacy needed to build inclusive, equitable migration systems falters.
This is why Wempower’s new series, Women on the Move: Fleeing, Fighting, Forgotten, is so crucial. Through multiple articles and podcasts, we will explore the gendered dimensions of migration—from the dangers of sexual violence on migration routes, to the challenges of motherhood in transit, to the entrepreneurial resilience of migrant women reshaping economies. We will also examine how media itself can either perpetuate harmful stereotypes or challenge them, underscoring the urgent need to amplify migrant women’s own voices.
The failure to see migrant women in their full humanity is more than a policy or media gap—it is a profound moral crisis. When entire populations are stripped of voice and agency, the global commitment to justice and equality falters. True migration justice demands more than statistics and headlines; it requires confronting the intertwined legacies of patriarchy, racism, and xenophobia that shape both borders and narratives. To silence migrant women is to silence history itself—erasing stories of survival, courage, and resistance that redefine what it means to be a migrant, a woman, and a human being. Only by reclaiming these voices can we begin to dismantle exclusionary structures and build a world where movement is not a risk but a fundamental right.
A special thank you goes to Sarah, who joined Wempower this spring as an intern, bringing with her a fierce curiosity, a passion for law and journalism, and a commitment to uncovering the vital connections between gender and migration. Thanks to her, Marica and I began conversations that grew into this full series—an effort enriched by the incredible contributions of Rhea, Amirah, Sienna, Christelle, Heidy, Marica herself, and many others. Together, they have pieced a powerful mosaic of stories, data, research, and lived experiences.
This series is deeply personal because the majority of Wempower’s team are women on the move—seeking better career opportunities, driven by the desire to explore, experience, and build new lives abroad. These are women who have left behind familiar worlds, faced immense challenges, and are now committed to amplifying the voices of countless others whose freedom of movement is denied and whose stories are too often erased by mainstream media.
Without the pens, passion, and journeys of these remarkable women, this series would not exist. And this is what Wempower truly represents—a news platform created by women, for women, where every voice has the right to be heard and every story deserves to be told.
This article launches “Women On The Move. Fleeing, Fighting, Forgotten” To read more inspiring stories of everyday women making a real difference in the world, be sure to check out the latest edition of Wempower magazine, or listen to our podcast.
