There is a significant gap in employment rates between people born in and outside of Sweden. Previous literature and theory present evidence of discrimination being a part of the gap. This paper studies the differences in employment between foreign-born and natives in Sweden. The terror attack in Stockholm in 2017 is used as an exogenous variation in attitudes towards foreign-born individuals to measure the discrimination. By collecting individual and aggregated data from Swedish statistics, the study examines how the negative attitudes following the terror attack affect ethnical differences in employment. Data is also collected from retriever to analyze the media coverage around the time of the incident to pinpoint a source of the attack and compare with the development of the employment after the attack. Using the difference-in-differences approch, result was found suggesting that the expected negative attitudes did not affect foreign-born individuals' employment probabilities. However, there were some negative effects shortly after the attack, but they were very small. Results are in line with the large spike in media coverage around the time of the incident which quickly decreases in the months after. A possible explanation of the results is that most of the employers don't let prejudice decide when making hiring decisions. Because the negative effects are very small nd only in the short run, this paper concludes that the expected attitude shift following the terror attack did not affect immigrants' employment probabilities.

Pregnant immigrant women are a vulnerable population with respect to access and navigation of maternity care service. They have to deal with the challenges of  navigating a health system in a new country which in most cases is unknown to them while tackling issues such as communication, language, and an unfamiliar healthcare system. Conversely the healthcare professionals are confronted with managing these issues and  providing care within a health institution which was not designed to take on the challenges of providing healthcare to a diverse population.  Both parties continue to search and implement measures within and outside the general healthcare institution with the aspiration of bridging the existing gap.   As a result, the primary aim of this study is to examine immigrant women’s interpretation of maternity care in Sweden and the secondary aim is to explore the views of maternity healthcare professionals on given care to immigrant women. The purpose is to generate and explore new knowledge about an area with limited understanding thus, the research questions are Thus, the research questions are:  How do immigrant women describe their maternity care experience?. How do healthcare professionals describe their experience caring for immigrant women?. An inductive qualitative research was conducted to explore the research problem. Thus, the theory was grounded in data.  Data was collected using semi-structured interviews held with immigrant women who had accessed maternity care in Sweden, had a live birth in the last five years and from healthcare professionals (midwives and doulas).   The result of this study shows that the maternal health needs of immigrant women are compromised due to various factors which centres mainly around communication, language and the health system.  The healthcare professionals also highlighted these same factors and the lack of education and training for them as the most significant underlying systematic problem within health services.

Foreign-born African immigrants (FBAI) have a high rate of severe hypertension (HTN) and psychosocial-cultural factors have underlying roles in this, as in other chronic diseases. Literature lacks studies on FBAI women living with HTN. This study explored the HTN experience of FBAI women in the Washington Metropolitan area. This qualitative phenomenological study, was guided by a theoretical framework that included the Health Belief Model, Patient Centered Access to Health Care and the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping. Highly educated health care professional of 15 women participated in in-depth interviews. Thematic analysis was used for data analysis. Key findings included (a) most had a family history of HTN and believed HTN is deadly but reported going into denial after their initial diagnosis; (b) many did not practice lifestyle modifications and did not consider it a priority to take their medications as prescribed by their clinicians; (c) many preferred their ethnic foods to American food; (d) many used herbs from West Africa, though some were concerned about long-term side effects; (e) many had medical insurance and easy access to HTN services, but reported that clinicians did not listen to their concerns or provide culturally appropriate guidance; and (f) some recommended that HTN treatment services for FBAI should be designed better to address cultural patterns of communication, diet and exercise. The results of this study may contribute to social change by offering more culturally sensitive HTN services that would likely increase treatment compliance among FBAI women

Tuberculosis (TB) is a leading public health problem across the world. For various reasons, TB and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) have increased. Clarification on TB/HIV co-infection and homelessness as risk factors for TB and MDR-TB is required to inform policy interventions to reduce TB-related morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs. In this quantitative study, data from the Houston Health Department (N = 341) were analyzed to explore the relationship between TB and MDR-TB outcomes and TB/HIV co-infection and type of housing/homelessness. Foreign-born persons are disproportionately affected in the United States. The socio-ecological model provided a theoretical framework for the investigation. Multiple and logistic regression analyses were conducted to investigate the relationships between variables, controlling for age and gender. Results indicate that HIV infected persons were more likely than non-infected persons to contract TB, and homeless persons were more likely than non-homeless persons to contract TB/MDR-TB, suggesting that high TB/HIV co-infection rates increase prevalence of TB and MDR-TB while improvements in housing reduce prevalence of TB and MDR-TB. However, no significant associations between variables were found. The odds ratio, Exp(B) = 0.000, p -?¥ 0.90, 95% Cl [0.000, with no upper bound values] was observed for both independent variables. Regular screening for TB/HIV co-infection among persons with high TB and MDR-TB risk profiles is recommended. Further investigation is required. Inclusion of more covariates could further elucidate more evidence of an association between variables. Study findings may support interventions to reduce TB-related morbidity, leading to positive social change.

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For the past decade, Sweden has been reinforced as a multicultural society, and immigrant integration policy has been a hotly debated topic. During the election campaigns in 2022, preschool was an important political issue, the government arguing that early interventions can be the key to the successful integration of immigrants. Subsequent amendments to the Education Act, which entered into force on 1 July 2023, require all municipalities to actively promote increased participation in preschool by means of different methods. The municipalities must provide information to parents and legal guardians and offer preschool enrollment to children who need learning Swedish, without the parents or legal guardians applying for it. The outreach activities are aimed at children who are not currently enrolled in preschool but who are entitled to be. The purpose of the present thesis is to investigate the experiences among preschool staff of the requirement to take active measures to offer preschool enrollment to the children of foreign-born parents. Through a qualitative approach with semi-structured interviews and a street level bureaucrats theoretical perspective, the study has focused on two municipalities which have charged preschool staff with the aforementioned task. With the analytical terms street level bureaucrats and discretion, it has been possible to investigate how the policy is implemented and how the preschool staff feels about being a fellow human being as well as an agent for a government authority. The results of the study indicate a consensus among preschool staff that they understand the purpose of, and need for, active measures, and their good intentions and ambitions are visible, despite being insufficiently prepared for the task by their employers.

With the intention of understanding the opportunities, challenges, and construction of identity that foreign teachers encounter through their work in France, my study is grounded in the theory that identity is changeable, ongoing, and influenced by both past and current living situations. Furthermore, the professional, social and cultural theories propose that identity is constructed through our work and our place within a group or a culture.   Six foreign- born teachers, who are active at university level as foreign language teachers in France, were interviewed with the aim of answering the following research questions: “Which challenges and opportunities do foreign born teachers acknowledge in their work with the French students? “and “How do foreign born teachers construct their identity within the French classroom? “. The interviews were conducted one-on-one and the data was analyzed and compared to former studies. The participants were both native speakers and non- native speakers.    The findings of my study proposed that the challenges in the French univeristy classroom contain a reluctance to speak as well as a preference for written and marked exams over communication skills within the student body. An inclination to use American English was also noticed. Shame of accent but especially the group dynamic was mentioned as factors. Conversely the students showed a positive attitude and appreciation towards foreign teachers.    The study established that the participants shaped their identity through a dual process: firstly, by encouraging their students to acclimate to their teaching approach, incorporating subjects and techniques from their countries of origin, and secondly, by adapting to their student body. This adaptation involved mastering the cultural codes and adjust to the expectations of the students. Although it was noted a challenge to find a balancing act between the two cultures, it appears that the link to the country of origin was rather reinforced than replaced. In order to demonstrate an understanding of their students' circumstances, many participants downplayed their proficiency in French as a means of connecting with their students' experiences.

Previous research shows that foreign-born women make up the group with the lowest employment rate in Sweden and face immense challenges in the Swedish labor market. The purpose of this study is to investigate foreign-born women's own experiences of the Swedish labor market. We specifically focused on investigating the ways in which gender and ethnicity play part in the way foreign-born women experience their possibilities in the Swedish labor market. To achieve the purpose of the study, we have chosen to conduct a qualitative study based on seven qualitative semi-structured interviews with foreign-born women living in Sweden. The study's theoretical framework is based on the intersectional perspective with gender and ethnicity as analytical categories. The results of the study show that foreign-born women's experiences of the Swedish labor market are affected by their gender and ethnicity, but also by the interaction of these factors. Furthermore, the results show that foreign-born women are motivated by having a job and see it as a driving force to achieve equality with their male partners and mainstream society.

By studying the representation of foreign-born women in the Swedish labour market policy debate, between the years 2010-2020, I want to discover if there has been a change of the rhetoric in political debates and how that affects the activities provided to foreign-born immigrant women. My conclusion is that there has been a change towards a more individualistic approach, with a representation of the group that further amplifies systematic discrimination in the Swedish labour market system. By creating a group with weaker standing on the labour market that can be used as low wage labour under the cover of support, the rhetoric can be seen as upholding the capitalist system.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the self- rated mental health of social services clients and see what affects it. A comparison was made against the other respondents regarding mental health. The study investigated the link between mental health and some different variables, such as gender, country of origin and whether they have emplyment or not. In addition, it was also examined how clients experienced the meeting with the social services and whether there was connection between their mental health and contact with social services. The material that formed the basis for the study was PART-studien (Mental health-Employment-Relations) and was collected by three researchers; Forsell and Lavebratt from Karolinska Institutet (KI) and Lundberg of Uppsala University, and concerned individuals' living conditions and mental health. To analyze the use Goffman's theory (2011) of psychological and social stigma and Ahmed Anis theory analysis on stigma and its three levels of stigma; social stigma, self-stigma and professionals stigma against clients. Previous research in this field has also helped in the interpretation of the results, as previous research reinforced the image of the individual's self- rated mental health varies between different groups in society, and that mental illness is linked to stigma. The result shows that self- rated mental health was adversely affected if they were a client of social services, if they were a woman, if they were born abroad, if they dint´t had employment and if they had a negative experience of the encounter with the social services. It also revealed that those who were in contact with social service felt worst in general, regardless of the other variables influence such as gender, birth country or employment. / Syftet med uppsatsen har varit att undersöka den självskattade psykiska hälsan hos socialtjänstens klienter och vad som kan påverka den. En jämförelse gjordes mellan socialtjänstens klienter och övriga respondenter i undersökningsmaterialet. Studien undersökte samband mellan psykisk hälsa och olika variabler, så som kön, ursprungsland samt om man har sysselsättning eller ej. Utöver det undersöktes även hur klienterna upplevde mötet med socialtjänsten och om det fanns samband mellan deras psykiska hälsa och kontakten med socialtjänsten. Materialet som låg till grund för studien var PART-studien (Psykisk hälsa-Arbete-Relationer), som är insamlat av tre forskare; Forsell och Lavebratt från Karolinska Institutet (KI), samt Lundberg från Uppsala universitet, och rörde individers levnadsvillkor och psykiska hälsa. För att analysera användes Goffmans (2011) teori om psykiska och sociala stigman och Ahmedanis (2011) teorianalys om stigmatisering och dess tre olika nivåer av stigma; socialt stigma, självstigma och yrkesverksammas stigma mot klienter. Även tidigare forskning på området har använts för att tolka resultatet, då det förstärkte bilden av hur individers självskattade psykiska hälsa varierar mellan olika grupper i samhället och att psykisk ohälsa är kopplat till stigmatisering. Resultatet visar att den självskattade psykiska hälsan var sämre hos dem som var i kontakt med socialtjänsten, om de var kvinnor, om de var födda utomlands, om de saknade sysselsättning och om de hade en negativ erfarenhet av mötet med socialtjänsten, samt att rollen som klient hos socialtjänsten hade störst påverkan på den psykiska hälsan jämfört med övriga variabler. Det framkom även att de som var i kontakt med socialtjänsten mådde sämst, oberoende av de andra variablernas påverkan så som kön, födelseland eller sysselsättning.