Unveiling double standards: gendered racism and health disparities among African-Black and European-White migrant women in Italy

This study investigated double standards in the Italian context by examining the perspectives of 51 African-Black refugee women and 43 Ukrainian/Russian women under temporary protection. We explored their perceptions of systemic and everyday discrimination stemming from gendered racism and its relationship with health outcomes, including well-being, social health, psychological distress and physical health. Using a questionnaire, we analysed the differences between the two groups. Results revealed that African-Black women reported significantly higher levels of systemic and everyday gendered racism and higher levels of health outcomes compared to Ukrainian/Russian women. When controlling for age, level of education, length of stay in Italy and Italian language proficiency, systemic and everyday gendered racism significantly associate with lower physical health and higher psychological distress, especially in African-Black women. The findings highlight double standards in the treatment of Ukrainian/Russian versus African-Black refugee women in Italy, warranting further discussion.