July 30, 2026

Feminist Studies

Sílvia Portugal

This thesis examines the trajectories of immigrant women in Portugal who are mothers of persons with intellectual disabilities, with a particular focus on their social support networks and their integration into the labour market. Grounded in the hypothesis that these women undergo a process of disaffiliation, the research analyses how migration, atypical motherhood and ableism intersect to produce both vulnerabilities and possibilities for social belonging.

The study employed semi-structured interviews centred on life-story narratives, complemented by letters and photographic albums. This methodological approach, informed by feminist and decolonial epistemologies, enabled the capture of affective dimensions, silences and gestures that often escape conventional interview techniques, thereby expanding the visibility of the experiences examined. Illustrations were created to visually represent the narrated trajectories, providing a sensitive interpretation of the stories and an affective response to the participants. Findings indicate that the participants move through zones of profound vulnerability. The analysis demonstrates that disaffiliation is a relational and unstable process, shaped by fragile social networks, precarious employment and the absence of intersectional public policies. It further reveals that the centrality of caregiving for children with disabilities-rather than migration itself-is the most decisive factor influencing the (dis)continuity of these women's professional trajectories.

Theoretically, the study advances an expansion of Castel's analytical framework by introducing new conceptual zones-Pendulum, Boundary and Dependency-that illuminate contemporary forms of precarity and social belonging situated at the intersections of gender, migration and care. Methodologically, it highlights the productive potential of narrative and visual devices in generating ethical, situated and collaborative knowledge.

By foregrounding the voices of these women-frequently marginalised in both Disability Studies and Feminist scholarship-the thesis contributes to making processes of disaffiliation visible and open to critique. It also seeks to inspire more equitable political and institutional responses that recognise care as a driving force of migration and as a fundamental pillar of social citizenship. The thesis recommends revisions to the Informal Caregiver Statute, the establishment of local integrated support offices, and the development of public policies attuned to the specific needs of migrant caregiving mothers.

Keywords: migration; care; ableism; disaffiliation; social networks