To many Finnish Somali women, citizenship does not mean a formal status, but a series of practices that help them feel like fuller members of society. My participants define citizenship in three main ways: as a balance between work and family life; as a learning practice – for both them and the majority population; as a key to online banking and travelling abroad.

They experience full citizenship in Finland as employment, mutual learning and respect, organising one’s time and transnational social connections.

Many Finnish Somali women and people working with them may face challenges (e.g. prejudice, mistrust, incommunicability) around employment, family and living together in Finland. To tackle these challenges, more flexible and low-threshold tools should be developed (e.g. workshops and drop-in counselling), encompassing the multiple roles of Finnish Somali womenas mothers, learners and (sometimes future) professionals.