Abstract
This chapter considers migrant women’s experiences with regard to welfare and labour market policies in Europe and in particular in relation to tendencies towards greater privatisation and deregulation of labour markets, along with the downsizing of welfare regimes. While the effects can be felt across European societies, the policies also impact on different groups in different ways. In contrast to the ‘inclusion’ and ‘cohesion’ promoted in policy agendas, our research shows that female migrants experience the impact of labour market deregulation and flexibilisation in ways which reinforce their already disadvantaged position. Furthermore, the insecurity and instability they experience as a result significantly impact on their long-term integration strategies. In this chapter, we are particularly concerned with examining the relationship between employment and the wider, long-term integration process into both the labour market and the wider society. In our account of migrant women’s employment experiences, we focus in particular on casual and informal work, on the one hand, and the ethnicisation of labour market sectors, on the other. In addition to considering the structural constraints faced by women migrants in European labour markets, we also explore the strategies they employ in order to negotiate these and some of the opportunities available which help them do so.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
1The characteristics of the Mediterranean model include spontaneous labour immigration, lack of comprehensive migration policies and significant informal labour market sectors, filled to a great extent by migrant workers. However, migration is increasingly recognised as a structural factor of Southern European societies, to some extent related to another characteristic shared by those countries, namely, a shortage of public provision of care, which has to a great extent come to be provided by female migrants (e.g. King and Zontini 2000; the relationship between welfare regimes, public care provision and female migrants’ employment is also discussed from a comparative European perspective by Kofman 2005).
- 2.
2 However, a recent evaluation of EU policies in this area suggests that they have not been successful in reaching ‘those furthest away from the labour market’, and that jobs have not always helped people overcome poverty (SEC(2010)114: 3–4).
- 3.
3Another component of the ‘inclusive’ labour market consists in the provision of rights and anti-discrimination measures. Both the legal framework protecting against discrimination on different grounds (e.g. the Racial Equality Directive 2000/43/EC and the Employment Equality Directive 2000/78/EC) and that which extends a number of employment rights to workers on atypical (part-time and temporary) contracts at an EU level (e.g. the Part-Time Work Directive 97/81/EC, the Fixed-Term Work Directive 99/70/EC and the Temporary and Agency Workers Directive 2008/104/EC) have extended the previous legal provisions in these areas in most member states. However, problems have been highlighted in regards to EU’s anti-discrimination framework, including the fact that it fails to deal with structural aspects of discrimination and inequality (see, e.g. Verloo 2006).
- 4.
4 Notably, registered domestic work has been regarded as a sector with potential for expansion, and we have seen the introduction of tax breaks for families in need of domestic services in countries such as France, Germany, the UK and Sweden.
- 5.
5 However, such practice is commonplace not just in northern Europe but also elsewhere. For example, in Slovenia, financial assistance can be refused if a person does not conform to requirements concerning labour market integration or activities that might lead to this.
- 6.
6 For many migrants, particularly in southern Europe as well as Poland, the problem is not unemployment per se but employment outside the regular job market.
- 7.
7 At the same time, the relationship between ethnic niches and language skills also depends on the nature of the job, where some service jobs (such as waitressing) can help improve women’s language skills, while others (such as cleaning in private households) often provide little opportunity for this, whether the employer is a migrant or non-migrant.
- 8.
8 This issue was raised also by a refugee and asylum worker in the UK who pointed towards some of the problems where women have taken informal and often anecdotal word of mouth advice, which has been wrong and in some cases left them in more vulnerable situations (Anthias and Cederberg 2006).
- 9.
9 Although as noted previously, having a French (or other native) employer does not necessarily imply an opportunity to practice the host language.
References
Anthias, F. (2007). Ethnic ties: Social capital and the question of mobilisability. The Sociological Review, 55(4), 788–805.
Anthias, F., & Cederberg, M. (2009). Using ethnic bonds in self-employment and the issue of social capital. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 35(6), 901–917.
Anthias, F., & Cederberg, M. (2006). National report: Key informants interviews. The UK case (Working Paper Nr. 2 – WP 2), FeMiPol Project. http://www.femipol.uni-frankfurt.de/docs/ working_papers/wp2/UK.pdf
Anthias, F., Cederberg, M., & Torre, A. R. (2006). Mapping of policies and policy analysis: The UK case (Working Paper Nr. 2 – WP 1), FeMiPol Project. http://www.femipol.uni-frankfurt.de/docs/working_papers/wp1/UK.pdf
Anthias, F., Cederberg, M., Barber, T., & Ayres, R. (2008). The biographical narrative interviews with female migrants: The UK case (Report WP 6), FeMiPol Project.
Antunes, M. M. (2006). Mapping of policies affecting female migrants and policy analysis: The Portuguese case (Working Paper Nr. 5 – WP 1), FeMiPol Project.
Campani, G. (2008). Biographical interviews in the Spanish sample (Report WP 6), FeMiPol Project.
Campani, G., & Chiappelli, T. (2008). Biographical interviews in the Italian sample: Migrant women between exclusion and inclusion (Report WP 6), FeMiPol Project.
Campani, G., Chiappelli, T., Cabral, I., & Manetti, A. (2006). Mapping of policies affecting female migrants and policy analysis: The Italian case (Working Paper Nr. 6 – WP 1), FeMiPol Project. http://www.femipol.uni-frankfurt.de/docs/working_papers/wp1/Italy.pdf
Cederberg, M., & Anthias, F. (2006). Mapping of policies and policy analysis: The Swedish case (Working Paper Nr. 3 – WP 1), FeMiPol Project. http://www.femipol.uni-frankfurt.de/docs/working_papers/wp1/Sweden.pdf
Cederberg, M., & Anthias, F. (2008). The biographical narrative interviews with female migrants: The Swedish case (Report WP 6), FeMiPol Project.
COM(2007)512. Third annual report on migration and integration. Brussels: Commission of the European Communities.
COM (2010)2020. Europe 2020: A strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. Brussels: Commission of the European Communities.
Cook, J. (1998). Flexible employment: Implications for gender and citizenship in the European Union. New Political Economy, 3(2).
EC. (2007). Towards common principles of flexicurity: More and better jobs through flexibility and security. Brussels: Commission of the European Communities.
EPC. (2005). Beyond the common basic principles on integration: The next steps. Issue Paper 27. European Policy Centre.
Fulias-Souroulla, M., & Trimikliniotis, N. (2008). Biographical interviews with migrant women. The Cyprus case (Report WP 6), FeMiPol Project.
Hochschild, A. (2000). Global care chains and emotional surplus value. In W. Hutton & A. Giddens (Eds.), On the edge: Living with global capitalism. London: Jonathan Cape.
King, R., & Zontini, E. (2000). The role of gender in the South European immigration model (Paper No. 60). Falmer/Brighton: School of European Studies, University of Sussex.
Kofman, E. (2004). Gendered global migrations: Diversity and stratification. International Feminist Journal of Politics, 6(4), 642–664.
Kofman, E. (2005). Gendered migrations, livelihoods and entitlements in European welfare regimes (UNRISD Working Paper).
Kofman, E. (2007). The knowledge economy, gender and stratified migrations. Studies in Social Justice, 1(2), 122–135.
Kofman, E., & Raghuram, P. (2006). Gender and global labour migrations: Incorporating skilled workers. Antipode, 38(2), 282–303.
Kofman, E., Phizacklea, A., Raghuram, P., & Sales, R. (2000). Gender and international migration in Europe. London: Routledge.
Kontos, M., & Sacaliuc, A. V. (2008). New female migrants: Biographical processes, integration strategies and social policies: The German case (Report WP 6), FeMiPol Project.
Kontos, M., Haferburg, U., & Sacaliuc, A. V. (2006). Mapping of policies affecting female migrants and policy analysis: The German case (Working Paper Nr. 1 – WP 1), FeMiPol Project. http://www.femipol.uni-frankfurt.de/docs/working_papers/wp1/Germany.pdf
Kontos, M., & Sacaliuc, A. V. in cooperation with Satola, A., Gruner, F., Flocke, V. (2007). Female migrants and labour administration officers. Interaction analysis (Report WP 7), FeMiPol Project.
Krzystek, K. (2007). Integration of female immigrants into labour market and society. Biographical policy evaluation. The Polish case (Report WP 6), FeMiPol Project.
Liapi, M. (2008). Integration strategies of female migrants. The case of Greece (Report WP 6), FeMiPol Project.
Morokvasic, M., & Catarino, C. (2006). Mapping of policies affecting female migrants and policy analysis: The French case (Working Paper Nr. 4 – WP 1), FeMiPol Project. http://www.femipol.uni-frankfurt.de/docs/working_papers/wp1/France.pdf
Morokvasic, M., & Catarino, C. (2008). Biographical interviews with female migrants: The French case (Report WP 6), FeMiPol Project.
Niessen, J., & Schibel, Y. (2007). Handbook on integration for policy-makers and practitioners (2nd ed.). Brussels: EC.
Pajnik, M., & Bajt, V. (2008). Biographical interviews with female migrants (Report WP 6), FeMiPol Project.
Schierup, C., Hansen, P., & Castles, S. (2006). Migration, citizenship, and the European welfare state. A European dilemma. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
SEC(2010)114 Lisbon strategy evaluation document. Brussels: Commission of the European Communities
Syrén, M. (2010). Vad har hänt med den aktiva arbetsmarknadspolitiken? Stockholm: Landsor-ganisationen.
Trimikliniotis, N., & Fulias-Souroulla, M. (2006). Mapping of policies affecting female migrants and policy analysis: The Cyprus case (Working Paper Nr. 11 – WP 1), FeMiPol Project. http://www.femipol.uni-frankfurt.de/docs/working_papers/wp1/Cyprus.pdf
Verloo, M. (2006). Multiple inequalities, intersectionality and the European Union. European Journal of Women’s Studies, 13(3), 211–228.
Wills, J., Datta, K., Evans, Y., Herbert, J., May, J., & McIlwaine, C. (2010). Global cities at work. New migrant divisions of labour. London: Pluto Press.
Yeates, N. (2004). A dialogue with ‘global care chain’ analysis: Nurse migration in the Irish context. Feminist Review, 77, 79–95.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Anthias, F., Cederberg, M., Barber, T., Ayres, R. (2013). Welfare Regimes, Markets and Policies: The Experiences of Migrant Women. In: Anthias, F., Kontos, M., Morokvasic-Müller, M. (eds) Paradoxes of Integration: Female Migrants in Europe. International Perspectives on Migration, vol 4. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4842-2_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4842-2_3
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-007-4841-5
Online ISBN: 978-94-007-4842-2
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and LawSocial Sciences (R0)