Combating the English language deficit: the labour market experiences of migrant women in Australia

Abstract

This article takes a multilevel perspective on the labour market issues and challenges that migrant women from non-English speaking backgrounds (NESB) encounter in Australia. The article is based on two main arguments: (1) a much more complex picture emerges when we look at the intersection of gender, ethnicity, and migration, and its implications for the labour market experiences of NESB women and (2) single level conceptualisations of diversity management within the domain of organisational or legal policies are inadequate to address the multilevel challenges faced by NESB women. The article presents a qualitative study in which we theorise our findings through a multilevel construct, examining the macro-national, meso-organisational, and micro-individual challenges that NESB women, originating from Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan, face in the Australian labour market