Transnational Family Dynamics of Ukrainian Forced Migrant Women in Germany: Digital Practices, Redefining Family Responsibilities, and Institutional Uncertainty

01.07.2026 bis 30.06.2028

This research project focuses on the experiences of Ukrainian women forced migrants in Germany who
maintain ties with their partners or families in Ukraine while combining childcare with work or study, and focuses on
the following research questions:
1. How do Ukrainian mothers who came to Germany as forced migrants organise the daily life of their
transnational families, maintain contact with partners or family members remaining in Ukraine, divide parenting
decisions, and what is the role of digital tools in this process?
2. What help and support do they receive (including institutional support in Germany from governmental and
non-governmental organisations)? How do they perceive the normative support or difference in work-care norms
between Ukraine and Germany?
3. How have the expectations of their role and the role of their partners in different (stereotypically male vs.
female) domains of family life and parenting changed since arrival?
4. How do they build work-care strategies in the context of forced migration and the uncertainty and
temporariness of their status in Germany? How do their actively produce or reduce acculturation processes in
terms of work-care norms and practices?