Work and gender in the context of spatial mobility and migration: the case of highly skilled Italians abroad

Young, highly skilled Italians are emigrating in record numbers. This contribution, which is part of a larger study about determinants and trends in new highly skilled migration from Tuscany (Italy), explores young Italians’ dynamic mobile life projects from a gender perspective. Drawing on the thematic analysis of 51 semi-structured interviews, we attempt to answer the following research questions: How does mobility and migration intersect with gender relations and career success in the lives of highly-skilled Italians living abroad? How do spatial mobility and experiences of more gender-equal societies impact family formation, couples (both same sex and heterosexual) and gender roles more broadly? Our preliminary results both confirm the findings of previous studies and pinpoint new questions in need of further investigation such as experiences of gender (in)equality and their power to transform short term mobility into mobile life projects/permanent migration, dual-career couples’ spatial mobility, and the impact of mobility on normative beliefs about key life events