Seasonal migration of strawberry workers between unemployment and development :The case of female workers in the city of Berkane

Abstract

Seasonal migration is one of the many types of migration that Morocco has experienced in partnership with Spain. This migration aims to create a workforce for the Spanish market and provide job opportunities for a group of poor widows or divorcees. The aim of this study is to shed light on the role of Moroccan female migrants who work to support their families. This type of migration has not been adequately addressed in either humanities or social studies. This study addresses a fundamental question: the extent to which the seasonal migration of strawberry women contributes to local development management in the city of Berkane. Using a case study approach based on the mechanism of dissecting a situation and socially analyzing it, we chose to study three cases of women who decided to leave Morocco for Spain to work. To work in the strawberry fields of Huelva, difficult conditions such as poverty, unemployment, and divorce forced them to leave their children in Morocco and migrate to Spain to provide a better life for their children and families. An analysis of the three cases reveals that the female workers chose this migration because of their poor economic circumstances, with their migration taking longer and farther distances, towards urban centers. Therefore, the main reasons for migration are primarily economic. This seasonal migration is simply a means of escaping and remaining in Europe, as the majority of female migrants did not return to their home country, Morocco, due to the disparity in economic levels between the sending and receiving countries, as the three female respondents explained. They stated that their circumstances improved completely after migration, and they became financially and socially independent.