Afghanistani Migrant Women in Tehran: Lived Experiences and Access to Opportunities

Over the past decades, a large number of migrants from Afghanistan have come to Iran in search of a better life or for work. They have been able to carve out a place as a minority group with some shared culture in the country’s urban and rural areas. Yet, despite their long presence in the country and their efforts to improve their lives, most migrants from Afghanistan continue to be among Iran’s marginalized or deprived groups. Leveraging such concepts as citizenship, multiple discrimination, exclusion, and integration, this paper analyzes the welfare and social status of Afghanistani migrant women in Iran. A qualitative approach was employed for field research targeting female migrants in Mahmudabad, Farahzad, and Bagh-e Azari neighborhoods of Tehran. Specifically, the investigation relied on 20 interviews conducted with Afghanistani women and another five carried out with active civil society stakeholders. The paper first describes and analyzes the migrants’ family structures, education, and employment. It then discusses the limited access of Afghanistani migrant women to formal services as well as their citizenship status. Finally, their coping mechanisms in relation to exclusion and integration are highlighted, which mainly consist of accessing services offered by non-governmental organizations and charities.