Life on Integration Benefit: A study of how Syrian refugees experience living on integration benefit in Denmark
Authors
Buch-Andersen, Emilia Liv ; Jein, Marie Amalie Rosentoft
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2017
Submitted on
2017-07-31
Pages
78
Abstract
I 2015 indførte Danmark den såkaldte integrationsydelse, en social ydelse målrettet især flygtninge og indvandrere og sat til omtrent halvdelen af niveauet for andre ledige. Debatten har været stor, men flygtningenes egne stemmer høres sjældent. Denne afhandling undersøger, hvordan syriske flygtningefamilier oplever at leve på integrationsydelsen. Undersøgelsen bygger på interviews med personer fra 12 forskellige familier og anvender Marianne Holm Pedersens begreb om “klasserejse” som ramme—altså de ændringer i status, ressourcer og identitet, der sker, når man bevæger sig mellem sociale positioner. Analysen fokuserer på tre områder: økonomi, relationen til det omgivende samfund og familieliv. For det første beskriver familierne en meget stram økonomi og vanskeligheder ved at få pengene til at slå til, i skarp kontrast til deres tidligere liv i Syrien, hvor de ikke manglede basale materielle goder. For det andet oplever de et ulige forhold til det omgivende samfund. De fortæller, at de bliver sendt i obligatoriske praktikforløb, der ikke udnytter deres kompetencer, hvilket giver en følelse af manglende anerkendelse og til tider udnyttelse. Integrationsprogrammet opleves som stressende og stærkt tidsstyrende. Nogle oplever også at blive fremstillet som “gratispassagerer” eller “ørkenfolk”, hvilket forstærker følelsen af ikke at blive respekteret. For det tredje påvirker den begrænsede indkomst familieroller og relationer. For nogle mænd udfordrer det idealet om “hegemonisk maskulinitet”—forventningen om at være forsørger—mens kvinderne finder det vanskeligt, at deres mænd ikke længere kan forsørge dem økonomisk. Forældrene beskriver desuden spændinger i relationen til børnene, når de ikke kan opfylde deres behov. Samlet set bringer studiet flygtningenes egne erfaringer frem om, hvordan en lav ydelse former hverdagsliv, mødet med samfundet og dynamikker i familien.
In 2015, Denmark introduced the “integration benefit,” a social assistance aimed mainly at refugees and immigrants and set at roughly half the level of other unemployment benefits. The policy sparked debate, yet refugees’ own perspectives are rarely heard. This thesis explores how Syrian refugee families experience living on the integration benefit. It is based on interviews with members of 12 families and uses Marianne Holm Pedersen’s concept of “class journey” as a framework—that is, the changes in status, resources, and identity that occur when moving between social positions. The analysis focuses on three areas: household finances, relations with the wider society, and family life. First, families describe very tight budgets and difficulty making ends meet, in sharp contrast to their earlier lives in Syria, where they did not lack basic material goods. Second, they feel their exchange with Danish society is unequal. They report being assigned mandatory internships that do not use their skills, leading to feelings of being unrecognised and sometimes exploited. The integration programme is experienced as stressful and tightly scheduled. Some also feel they are portrayed as “freeloaders” or even “desert people,” which deepens the sense of not being respected. Third, limited income affects family roles and relationships. For some men, it challenges the ideal of “hegemonic masculinity”—the expectation to be the provider—while women find it difficult that their husbands can no longer support them financially. Parents also describe strain in relations with their children when they cannot meet their needs. Taken together, the study brings forward refugees’ own accounts of how a low benefit shapes everyday life, interactions with society, and family dynamics.
[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]
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