The present essay aims to introduce the theoretical and methodological basis of fieldwork with Polish migrant women in an Italian province. Methodological choices will be justified by examining the circumstances of the empirical work and a brief description of qualitative and quantitative data related to Polish migration to western Europe. Early results available so far reveal side-effects of the regularization process carried out in June 2002 by the Italian government, and the growing importance of job mediators and illegal recruitment agencies that often take advantage of their links to allocate jobs to newcomers, that are often women employed as domestic workers and caregivers. Therefore, the complex nature of migratory flows in sending countries should be faced as well, in order to provide alternative methods for job placement, e.g. via international cooperation projects.

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Poland migration determinant Eurasia Central Europe Italy domestic work regulatory approach Europe Southern Europe migrant worker womens status European immigrant