Factors shaping disaster preparedness of immigrant women: Revisiting the community engagement theory

This study underscores the significant barriers immigrant women face, including language limitations, limited access to resources, and strong reliance on faith-based coping strategies. Despite their vulnerabilities, the study highlights the crucial role of children in disseminating disaster-related knowledge within immigrant households, while the lack of community participation and institutional engagement further exacerbates their challenges. The gendered patterns observed, women’s limited agency, dependence on male household members, and exclusion from public decision-making, reflect broader structural inequalities that remain unaddressed within Türkiye’s migration governance

Overall, the findings illustrate that immigrant women remain structurally marginalized in Türkiye: despite the passing years, participants have not been sufficiently engaged in society, still face serious language barriers, and have not interacted enough with people other than their relatives and fellow immigrants. Their knowledge and beliefs about disasters are lower compared to those of average people in Türkiye they lack scientific knowledge and they tend to make decisions with a stronger religious belief and manage their lives accordingly.