The feminisation of migration flows, coinciding with an increase in the proportion of women amongst first-generation migrants, including for work purposes, makes it increasingly important to examine the conditions governing the entry of immigrant women into the labour market. France and Italy are representative of two very different trends and the aim of this study is to assess detailed indicators of immigrant women’s labour force participation by showing the diversity of situations according to country of origin and various dependent factors related to migration processes and socio-demographic characteristics.
Census data will be used (instead of Labour Force Survey), because a significant number of records is needed to focus on specific components of the migrant population. Preliminary results confirm a large heterogeneity within the migrant population in each country regarding the propensity to be active. Differences in age profiles show the influence of other factors to be checked.

keywords: female migrations; labour force; participation rates; comparative analysis Italy/France.