Abstract:

With the shutdown measures taken to prevent the spread of Covid-19 throughout the world, social life and economic activity gradually came to a halt. This epidemic, which has spread worldwide, has affected all social classes. However, disadvantaged/vulnerable groups such as the elderly, forced migrants, and women who lack the socioeconomic resources and ability to protect themselves were most affected by the pandemic. The visibility of social inequality, discriminatory attitudes, and practices associated with Covid-19 has allowed us to focus our attention on disadvantaged groups. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of older Syrian women living alone in Gaziantep with the Covid-19 epidemic in the context of the intersection of aging, gender, and forced migration. To this end, in-depth interviews were conducted with a total of 15 Syrian women aged 65 years and older from different social classes and ethnicities. These interviews were subjected to descriptive and comparative analysis. The experiences of these elderly migrant women living alone were shaped by a number of factors, including pre- and post-migration periods, socioeconomic conditions, housing situation, family relationships, language or cultural barriers, health status, and access to private and public support. In this sense, the article presents social policy recommendations in the context of the main findings on the strategies used by women to cope with the epidemic and their experiences of social exclusion that intersect with the epidemic.

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