Authors

Katarzyna Krakowska¹;  ¹ University of Lodz, Poland

Discussion

The full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 led to Poland becoming home to nearly one million refugees, predominantly young, educated mothers seeking safety for their children. However, my research focuses on a less represented group: women over the age of 60.
By placing older women at the center of my inquiry, I address a demographic often overlooked in refugee studies. Initial research reports and media narratives established a dominant image of Ukrainian refugees as young, well-educated women eager to enter the workforce, a portrayal rooted in reality. According to UNHCR, older adults constitute only 7% of Ukrainian refugees in Poland, 78% of whom are women. Yet, before the war, individuals over 60 made up 23% of Ukraine’s 41-million population, highlighting a significant discrepancy. This group faces immense challenges; before the war, 80% of retirees in Ukraine lived below the poverty line due to low pensions. In January 2022, the average pension was approximately 125 EUR, and a third of retirees received only the minimum amount of 77 EUR. Women, living an average of 10 years longer than men, were especially disadvantaged, with pensions 30% lower due to shorter employment periods tied to caregiving roles.
I aim to understand, through a sociolinguistically grounded analysis of autobiographies, how the life experiences of older women have prepared them for navigating displacement. Here, displacement encompasses adapting to life in the host society and migrant community, accessing support systems, maintaining connections with the homeland and family, and engaging in self-reflection on identity shaped by war and forced migration. Older women face unique barriers, including labor market exclusion, language challenges, war trauma, and cultural differences.
In this presentation, I will outline a typology of coping strategies for experiencing displacement, based on a sociolinguistic analysis of the autobiographical narratives of 20 Ukrainian women over 60 who settled in Warsaw and its surroundings after February 24, 2022. This typology will provide insights into the social processes shaping their experiences and responses to the challenges of forced migration.