The Double Stigmatization of Undocumented Algerian Women Between the Country of Origin and the Host Country

Abstract

This article examines the phenomenon of undocumented migration among Algerian women through a gender-based perspective, highlighting the double stigmatization they experience in both their country of origin and their host society. Drawing on fieldwork conducted between 2009 and 2012 in Algeria, Spain, and France, the author argues that harragates remain largely invisible in migration research, official statistics, and public policies. Their decision to migrate is shaped not only by economic hardship but also by social, familial, and cultural constraints associated with being single, divorced, or unmarried mothers in a patriarchal society. Upon arrival, they continue to face stereotypes that associate independent female migration with prostitution, moral deviance, and social exclusion. The article demonstrates that irregular migration also represents a form of resistance against gender inequality, social control, and exclusion, enabling women to seek autonomy, dignity, and a renewed social identity. It ultimately reveals the profound transformations affecting gender relations and migration dynamics in contemporary Algerian society.