Collective self-employment of migrant women in Sweden. Biographical projects and policy measures

Abstract

This chapter presents a picture of collective self-employment among migrant women in Sweden. The focus is on Stockholm and two co-operatives started as part of the self-employment drive launched in 1995. As unemployment among immigrants had risen steadily during the early 1990s, various steps were taken to alleviate the situation. In addition to general labour market measures to support and facilitate the starting of new small businesses, some programmes and projects were also initiated specifically to provide occupations for unemployed immigrant women. The chapter starts out by presenting a brief overview of the relevant programmes and then introduces members of the two mentioned co-operatives. The individual biographical projects are outlined by following the changes and developments of the co-operatives and of the women, as described by themselves in consecutive interviews as well as in more casual meetings. In the final section, the biographical impact and implications for policy measures are brought together in a discussion on lessons that can be learned from the presented material.