For nearly ten years, I have worked in the Neighbourhood Mothers programme, first as a volunteer and later as a coordinator. During this time, I have repeatedly heard the same question from partners and local services: “Where are the migrant women?”
The question implies absence. In reality, the issue is not invisibility but recognition.
In its Megatrendit 2026 report, Sitra states that Finland is already a multicultural country with more than half a million people of foreign background. Diversity does not refer only to ethnicity, but also to differences in values, gender, age and life experiences. Over the next decade, Finland must strengthen two way integration, in which attitudes, trust and openness enable people to build their future in Finland. (Sitra, 2026.)
Sitra also emphasizes that everyday experiences in workplaces and neighbourhoods determine whether a person feels that they belong. Trust is built in libraries, volunteer activities and hobbies. Strengthening the economy requires both older people to remain in working life longer and people of foreign background to participate in the labour market (Sitra, 2026).
In this context, the question is not where migrant women are. The question is whether we recognize their influence.
Where Are Migrant Women?
Since 2016, more than 600 volunteer women have been trained through the Neighbourhood Mothers programme across Finland. They organize community cafés, reduce loneliness, support newcomers in everyday matters, and identify development needs in local services while collaborating with other professionals to improve them. This work forms part of local civic infrastructure.
Migrant women often face structural challenges related to employment, language skills and gendered expectations. At the same time, they actively construct belonging and participation in Finnish society (Kieseppä, 2022). Vulnerability and agency are not mutually exclusive.
Sitra highlights that democratic resilience requires opportunities for participation and democratic renewal (Sitra, 2026). When migrant women facilitate dialogue, organize community initiatives and engage in advocacy, they strengthen local democracy and social trust.
It is important to recognize that immigrant women are not only the target group of integration policy. They are community builders, democracy promoters, and agents of social sustainability in Finland. They are not absent. They are building Finland every day. Although Women’s Day was celebrated on Sunday, these themes should not only be discussed once a year.
It is important that we continuously discuss the participation, influence, and position of immigrant women in Finnish society, not only be discussed once a year. It is important that we discuss the participation, influence, and status of immigrant women in Finnish society on an ongoing basis, not just on special occasions.
Author:
Analyn Wagas-Hyvönen
The author works in Neighbourhood Mothers program promoting migrant women´s participation, agency & well-being.
Sources:
Kieseppä, V. 2022. Doctoral dissertation. University of Helsinki. http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-951-51-8394-1 (Visit an external site. The link opens in a new tab.)
Sitra. 2026. Megatrendit 2026 Kohti uutta yhteiskuntasopimusta. https://www.sitra.fi/julkaisut/megatrendit-2026/ (Visit an external site. The link opens in a new tab.)
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