Acquiring intangible remittances for Ukraine by female war migrants: is there a ‘cumulative advantage effect’?

Abstract This article—part of the Special Issue on “(In)tangible Remittances and Inequalities”—investigates the acquisition of social remittances by Ukrainian female war migrants in Poland. It focuses on how these women leverage various resources—human, psychological, social, and economic—to potentially contribute to Ukraine’s development during the ongoing conflict with Russia since February 2022 and in the eventual post-conflict period. This wave of Ukrainian war migration is notably rich in resources, particularly in terms of higher education, providing a basis for the formulation of this study. The research is framed within the concept of intangible remittances and incorporates the cumulative advantage effect, which suggests that individuals with more initial intangible resources are more likely to gain additional advantages, thereby enhancing their ability to generate intangible remittances. The study combines quantitative data from a novel survey with an anonymous feedback for participants measuring the level of their resources, conducted via the My Migration Dashboard ( https://mymigration.academy/ ) of 344 Ukrainian female war migrants, with qualitative follow-up insights from 20 in-depth interviews with female participants with higher education. Key quantitative findings reveal that although education and other intangible assets such as soft and cognitive skills, resilience and social networks contribute to cumulative advantage, two unique predictors stand out: civic engagement, which opens up further opportunities for education and training, and autonomous reflexivity which facilitates independent decisions. Key qualitative findings reveal that Ukrainian female war migrants intend to apply the following in Ukraine: educational practices, professional development, life-long learning approach, work ethics, mental health support and social inclusivity. They do not intent to remit to Ukraine a ‘colonial mindset’.