RoWo-Pact

The project RoWo_Pact (“Political and Socioeconomic Participation of Women with a Minority Background”) explores the political and socioeconomic involvement of women with immigrant backgrounds, national minority women, and Romani women. These groups often experience intersecting forms of discrimination that influence their opportunities and strategies for engagement. While structural barriers such as limited access to education, employment, and mobility frequently restrict their participation, evidence shows that minority women find innovative ways to assert their rights and challenge exclusion. Using intersectionality as both a theoretical and methodological approach, RoWo_Pact asks: What obstacles and opportunities do women with minority backgrounds face in political and socioeconomic participation? What claims and priorities do they express in these areas? What forms of participation—ranging from traditional practices like voting or running for office, to unconventional methods such as grassroots activism, online petitions, and community initiatives—do they use? In addition to focusing on minority women as active agents, the project also investigates the roles of key actors and gatekeepers—including political parties, civil society organizations, and administrative institutions—in shaping access to participation, resources, and decision-making spaces. It also examines racialization as a process that marks women as “different” or “outsiders,” influencing both opportunities and exclusions in political and socioeconomic life. By analyzing how these categorizations interact with gender and class inequalities—and how minority women actively resist and reshape these processes—RoWo_Pact connects the study of personal agency with the analysis of institutional structures to provide a comprehensive understanding of how minority women navigate systemic inequalities and contribute to modern democratic and social life.