Russian immigrant women in Finland

Abstrakti

Following the break-up of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, many Russians immigrated to Finland. This paper focuses on the largest group of such immigrants, namely, Russian women who have married Finnish men. Most of the 13 women in this study complain that their life in the West is generally ”poorer”, not only economically but also socially. A major concern is the lack of appropriate job opportunities. The women must deal with the stereotype of Russians as the enemies of Finland as well as negative attitudes towards foreigners fueled by economic recession. They often feel alienated in their adopted country, while at the same time they seek to integrate into and experience its advantages. I characterize this situation in terms of ’polarity’, a concept which reflects the tense duality in the feelings and motivation of the women