ABSTRACT
In October 2023, the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities adopted its tenth set of Recommendations specifically focusing on the Effective Participation of National Minorities in Social and Economic Life. The obligation upon state parties to enhance socioeconomic participation of minority members is also enshrined in article 15 of the Framework Convention on National Minorities. This article, however, and the literature related to it, have mainly focused on the political aspect. Socioeconomic studies on minorities are rare, and ones on minority women even more so. Focusing on socioeconomic participation as access to work, education, and social and public services, this chapter explores the difficulties that minority women face in this field through an intersectional approach. It builds upon recent empirical data on two of the wealthiest (minority) regions in Europe, namely South Tyrol (Italy) and Catalonia (Spain), both of which register low unemployment rates and good rates of women workers. Although minority women's participation may seem high in numbers, this chapter shows how underlining assumptions on minority and on women ultimately intersect and have a negative impact upon them. Also, it points at unveiling how the intersection with other social drivers (e.g., age, class) eventually hinders the effective socioeconomic participation of minority women.
