Higher Education Accessibility for Migrants in Qatar: A Gendered Analysis

While Qatar has invested heavily in its higher education sector in recent years, accessibility to higher education, despite being an aspiration for migrants who come to the country and benefits the economy, remains a distant dream for them. This qualitative study aims to analyze education accessibility for migrants in Qatar by examining the complex intersections of citizenship and migration with gender. By employing a feminist analysis, the dissertation explores how the socioeconomic conditions of women migrants, in particular, render them invisible to the Qatari state in its education policies, thereby debunking the Qatari state’s vision of development and empowerment. The research also analyzes the data provided by two different universities, using these case studies to make larger points about the interwoven nature of inequalities that render educational opportunities unattainable for women migrants in Qatar, who are relegated to the margins of society due to state oversight and exclusion. Ultimately, the research hopes to prioritize migrants in particular women migrants in relation to Qatar’s investment in education and human development.