Donne rom romene e lavoro di strada

For Romanian Roma women in Italy, specific constellations of risk and opportunity are arranged in the spaces of their everyday experience, creating “gendered geographies of power” (Pessar & Mahler, 2003). These have to do with processes of constructing, through practice, gender and ethnicity along with the belonging to a poor class, processes which endow spaces with meaning, within the dynamics of interaction with passersby, the authorities and other groups on the street. Repressive measures, accompanied by an inadequate social welfare response in term of prevention, leads to unforeseen and troubling consequences. Sometimes the result can be further subjugation of women, increased reliance on the illegal economy to survive, family breakdown and other complex vulnerabilities. Within this frame, Roma women affirm with effort their own dignity and their equal position within family dynamics.