This paper addresses the role of social connections in helping women migrants to settle in the UK. We focus on micro- and macro-social capital with the former including local social networks and organisation (comprising immediate family, other immigrants, neighbours, churches) and the latter including experience with local government supporting institutions. In this context, we present results from a pilot study based on data collected amongst women immigrant workers in the care sector in the UK. A majority of respondents in our sample come from Africa and Asia and 62 percent arrived without family. Our results indicate that while education decreases the extent to which women in our sample feel settled, contact with the local community as well as living within an immigrant community helped the women to feel settled. Finally, their experience with services like housing and immigration proved very significant. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Migration Well-being Social capital

womens employment United Kingdom Eurasia social capital Western Europe immigration Africa Europe migrant worker Asia