Voices From the Periphery: Lived Experiences of Women International Students From the Global South Studying at U.K. Universities

Intersectional perspectives on International Student Mobility are burgeoning; however gendered aspects are rarely examined. This paper offers a contribution to this lacuna and provides further understanding of how gender shaped the experiences of six women international students from the Global South. The women participated in semi-structured interviews as part of a wider study analysing ISM in relation to socio-economic status (SES). The women could be seen to be aligned with the ‘post-feminist neoliberal subject’ with evidence of making choices, a desire for financial independence and strong career aspirations. However, life stage and home country cultures intersected with transnational caring for four of the women. This resulted in a re-alignment of ‘success’ upon completion of educational opportunities which reflect gendered inequalities in society. This suggests that there can be a clash of the imagined future identity of a ‘strong independent career woman’ with naturalised aspects of femininity for women international students.