Integration of immigrants has become a major focus of the EU policy agenda in recent years with Sweden being one of the first EU countries to address the need for immigrant integration. However, in recent times integration outcomes in Sweden have become unfavourable. Malmö Sweden has a unique context of immigrant integration being Sweden’s third largest city and having the highest percentage of immigrants within Sweden. The city transitioned from being an “industrial” city to a “professional” city in the 1970’s with a large percentage of jobs requiring a college degree. This job gap for workers with “limited skills” led to an employment shortage for immigrants, with a disproportionate impact on women.  This study explores how social sector organizations in Malmö are fostering learning and knowledge sharing through communities of practice (CoP) among immigrant women in Malmö with limited skills in order to integrate into the Swedish system and reach economic & social integration. The study covered four social sector organizations’ program facilitators and participants that participate in communities of practice programs. The study’s primary source of data collection was Semi-structured interviews conducted at four social sector organizations that work with integrating immigrant women in Malmö, Sweden and analyzed through thematic analysis. The learning programs were not publicized as communities of programs. When examined, learning programs at the four social organizations followed the classification of CoPs based on the individual learning program’s domain, community, and practice. Through the analysis of the interviews, the learning programs at the four organizations were uncovered to be “hidden” communities of practice. The study also found a unique municipal-non-profit partnership that existed in every learning program studied, allowing more resources and opportunities to the women within the CoP for better integration. Each woman in the CoP had a Shared Goal or Joint Enterprise of socially, culturally, and economically integrating into Sweden. The "safe space" and average age attracted by the program created mutual engagement or collaboration through relationship building. The shared native language and Swedish language between the women became communal tools or their “shared repertoire” that the women developed and used together to improve their Swedish as well as their professional skills These communal tools enhance the immigrant women’s ability to learn and open opportunities needed to integrate into Sweden such as employment or further education.

Empowerment is a process or a mechanism of individuals, organizations and communitiesacquiring control over their lives (Rappaport (1987), and there is a sustained effort by nationsand the international communities across the globe in search of pragmatic agendas and policyframework in achieving women’s empowerment. The purpose of this study was to understandthe experiences of immigrant women who participate in multicultural festivals, and how suchexperiences impact their empowerment. Guided by the ladder of empowerment theory byElizabeth Rocha in 1997, a phenomenological qualitative study was conducted with fifteenimmigrant women residents in Uppsala, and with heterogeneous description, the women weremainly from west African, South American and the European sub-regions.Drawing on the interviews, exposure to different cultures, making friends and interactingwith people from different cultural origins, opportunity to have fun, happiness and socialnetworking were the sailing experiences revealed by the study. While the women are able toachieve the first three levels – atomistic, embedded and mediated empowerments – ofindividual empowerments as espoused by Rocha (1997), the study further showsSocio-political and Political empowerment were not felt by the women, though theirgroupings into groups and organizations could influence decisions, legislations andprogrammes underlying the celebration of multicultural festivals in the Uppsala municipality.

Although much previous literature has concentrated on the experiences of male migrants, recent research has begun to shed some light on the role of women in migration processes as well. This research paper explores the integration experiences of three immigrant Turkmen women in California. In addition, the role of networks in the facilitation of the integration process is considered. Within this ethnographic study, the following methods are used to obtain information: semi-structured interviews and participant observations. The concepts of human agency and structure are employed when analyzing the content. The findings illustrated that successful integration is dependent upon the following indicators: education, language proficiency, naturalization, labor market assimilation, and participation in the social sphere. Also, networks of these immigrant women act as facilitators of integration into host society. This particular topic was chosen due to a lack of research in the field of migration in the United States concerning the integration of immigrants, male or female, from Turkmenistan. This research could serve as a departure for a larger future project in the field of migration research.

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Work

Bakgrunn:I norske levekårsundersøkelser oppgirinnvandrere at de hardårligere helse enn resten av befolkningen. Et mål i norsk integreringspolitikk er å fremmelevekår for innvandrerbefolkningen. Fysisk aktivitet slik som svømming har en sosial og kulturell verdi i det norske samfunnet,samtidig som det er en forebyggende innsats vedat manglende ferdigheter i svømming bidrar til at innvandrergrupper har høyere risiko for å drukne. Hensikt: Formålet med studien var åutvikle et svømmekurs som en helsefremmende intervensjon for kvinner med innvandrerbakgrunn og undersøke om svømmekurset bidro til økte svømmeferdigheter og sosial integrering. Metode: Å utføre enintervensjon gjennom et svømmekurs med deltagelse fra 16 kvinner fra 6 forskjellige land.Triangulering av metoder med spørreundersøkelser, gruppeintervjuerog observasjoner fra 15.november 2012 til 26. oktober 2013. Forskningsspørsmål har søkt svar innenfor temaene øktesvømmeferdigheter, sosial integrering ogandre faktorer som kunnepåvirke helsetilstanden til kvinner med innvandrerbakgrunn. Kvalitativ innholdsanalyse ble brukt for å analysere det kvalitative datamaterialet. Resultat: Deltagerne visteøkte svømmeferdigheter parallelt med økt trygghetsfølelse i forhold til vann fra kursstart til kurset varavsluttet. Deltagerne viste en kulturell åpenhet og personlig utvikling som ble synlig gjennom utvidet sosialt nettverk på tvers av kulturer og utvidet omfang av sosiale aktiviteter slik sombruk av offentlig basseng. Andre funn var en bedre selvopplevd helse og at deltagernefungerte som rollemodellerfor egen familie og venner med tanke på ålære svømmeferdigheten. Konklusjon: Denne intervensjonen visteat aktivitet tilrettelagt for kvinner med innvandrerbakgrunn fremmet faktorer som haddeen positiv effekt på helsetilstanden, Dette gjennombedring av svømmeferdigheter,og sominngangsport til sosial integrering / Background:Norwegian surveys have reported that the health of immigrants compares negatively with the health of the general population. Norwegian society emphasizes thesocial and cultural value ofphysical activity such as swimming,andintegration policypromotes improved living conditions for immigrants. Moreover, inability to swim heightens the risk of drowning. Purpose: This study aimed to develop swimming instruction as a health-promoting intervention among immigrant women.It also examined whether such swimming lessons improve women's health by increasing skills and social integration. Method: Sixteen women from six different countries participated in swimminglessons between 15 November 2012 and 26 October 2013. This thesis used a triangulation of methods (i.e., surveys, group interviews,and observations)to investigate whether increased swimming skill, social integration, and other factors affect the health of immigrant women. I used qualitative content analysis to evaluate alldata. Results: As immigrant women became better swimmers, their sense of security in the water improved. Additionally, swimming enhanced cultural openness and personal development, and participants’ social networks expanded across cultures. Public swimming pools increasedsocial activity. Finally, as participants’perceptions of their own health improved,they encouraged their family and friends to learn how to swim. Conclusion: This intervention shows that activities organized for immigrant women promote factors that have a positive effect on health, such as improved swimming skills. Swimmingis a gateway to social integration / <p>ISBN 978-91-86739-67-6</p>

Cette thèse a pour objet de comprendre la question du mariage forcé vécu par des femmes immigrantes vivant au Québec et, les réponses politiques, législatives et sociales qu’on y apporte. De façon plus spécifique, il s’agit de mettre à jour la diversité des situations et des significations que recouvre la notion de mariage forcé pour tenter d’en dégager des éléments de définition et de compréhension. La thèse vise également à identifier les conséquences spécifiques qui découlent d’un mariage forcé pour les femmes immigrantes vivant au Québec, et enfin, d’analyser les réponses politiques, législatives et sociales visant le mariage forcé au Canada et au Québec afin de prévenir, dépister et d’en protéger ses victimes en contexte interculturel. S’appuyant sur un corpus de dix entrevues avec des femmes immigrantes vivant, ayant vécu ou menacées d’un mariage forcé et de dix-huit informateurs clés intervenant auprès d’elles et provenant de différents milieux de pratique (police, justice, santé services sociaux et communautaires), une analyse intersectionnelle a permis de révéler toute la complexité des mariages forcés due notamment aux interrelations entre des systèmes d’oppression et des vulnérabilités multiples. La recension des écrits et nos résultats indiquent que certains éléments caractérisent les mariages forcés. Premièrement, la préservation de l’honneur patriarcal qui problématise et contrôle le comportement des femmes en ce qui à trait notamment à leur vie sexuelle, mais aussi sociale. Deuxièmement, le fait que le mariage forcé soit un moyen de poursuivre des intérêts plus souvent collectifs qu’individuels. Dimension collective qui devra nécessairement être prise en considération lors des solutions à apporter à cette problématique. Troisièmement, le rôle des femmes (mères, belles-mères et autres femmes de la communauté culturelle d’appartenance) dans l’arrangement des mariages, mais également dans la surveillance et le contrôle de tous les faits et gestes des autres femmes. i Quatrièmement, le potentiel d’agresseurs multiples, y compris la communauté elle-même, dans les actes de violence commis avant, pendant et, le cas échéant, après le mariage. Une autre dimension qui devra elle aussi être prise en compte lors de l’inter- vention. Cinquièmement, le potentiel d’exploitation sexuelle (viol conjugal, grossesses forcées), physique (mauvais traitements, blessures), psychologique (pressions, manipulations) ou encore économique (travail forcé, privation d’autonomie financière). L’ensemble de ces résultats a permis de cerner certains besoins liés à l’intervention, en terme de prévention, de dépistage et de protection des victimes de mariage forcé. / This thesis aims to understand the issue of forced marriage experienced by immigrant women living in Quebec and the political, legislative and social responses. More specifically, it is to demonstrate the diversity of situations and meanings covered by the concept of forced marriage in an attempt to identify elements of definition and understanding. The thesis also aims to identify the specific consequences of forced marriage for immigrant women living in Quebec, and to analyze the political, legislative and social responses to forced marriage in Canada and Quebec in order to prevent, detect and to protect victims in an intercultural context. Based on ten interviews with immigrant women living, having lived or under the threat of forced marriage and eighteen key informants involved with them and coming from various practice settings (Police, Justice, Health and Social services, Community organizations), an intersectional analysis has revealed the complexity of forced marriages due to the interrelations between various systems of oppression and multiple vulnerabilities. The literature and our results indicate that certain elements characterize forced marriages. Firstly, the preservation of the patriarchal honor that problematizes and controls women’s behaviour, relating in particular to their sexual life as well as their social life. Secondly, the fact that forced marriage is more often a way to pursue collective interests instead of individual ones. This collective dimension will necessarily be taken into account in solutions to this problem. Thirdly, the role played by women (mothers, stepmothers and other women from the same ethnic community) in the marriage arrangements, but also in the surveillance and control of all the comings and goings of other women. Fourthly, the potential of multiple perpetrators, including the community itself, involved in violent acts before, during and sometimes after the wedding is another dimension which must also be taken into account during the intervention. iii Fifthly, the potential for sexual exploitation (marital rape, forced pregnancies), physical violence (bodily harm), psychological violence (pressures, manipulation) or economic violence (forced labor, deprivation of financial autonomy). All these results helped to identify some needs in terms of prevention, screening and protection of forced marriage victims.

La mouvance migratoire, dynamique et complexe, a changé la face de la réalité du marché en affectant les standards du marketing et des études sur le comportement du consommateur. Des courants de recherche récents dont la « Consumer Culture Theory » ont émergé pour comprendre les nouvelles scènes sociales culturellement diverses en se focalisant sur les dimensions expérientielles et socioculturelles des phénomènes étudiés. L’objectif de notre recherche étant de contribuer, dans une perspective CCT, à une meilleure compréhension du comportement de consommation alimentaire des femmes immigrées en se référant aux théories postassimilationnistes. Pour pouvoir répondre à nos questions de recherche, nous avons opté pour une démarche méthodologique qualitative à travers l’approche de la théorisation ancrée, choisie pour son caractère à la fois créatif et scientifique.Les résultats montrent que la confrontation entre la culture d’origine et la culture d’accueil demande à l’immigré d’interagir avec les diverses dimensions de la culture hôte afin de garder un équilibre cognitif-conatif-affectif lui permettant de réussir son intégration. Il nous semble aussi porteur de déclarer que notre travail propose une vision holiste du comportement de consommation alimentaire des immigrés et que la consommation alimentaire est un phénomène à facettes multiples qui mérite d’être compris en vue d’y apporter des éclairages et de dévoiler au-delà de son aspect banal, sa complexité. Chacune des catégories décelées à travers nos analyses représente un phénomène en soi et dans chacune des activités les attitudes, les représentations, les émotions, les sens, et les comportements changent. / The dynamic and complex migratory movement has changed the face of the market reality by affecting the standards of marketing and research on consumer behavior. Of trends in research that’s "Consumer Culture Theory" has emerged to understand the new culturally diverse social scenes focusing on experiential and cultural dimensions of the phenomena studied. The goal of our research is to contribute, into a CCT perspective, to a better understanding of food consumption behavior of immigrant women by referring to postassimilationnist theories. To answer our research questions, we opted for a qualitative methodological approach through the grounded theory approach, chosen for his character both creative and scientific.The results show that the confrontation between the culture of origin and the host culture asks immigrants to interact with various aspects of the host culture to keep a cognitive-affective-conative balance allowing it to successfully integrate. It also seems interesting to declare that our work offers a holistic view of food consumption behavior of immigrants and that food consumption is a multifaceted phenomenon that deserves to be understood in order to provide insights and reveal, beyond its ordinary aspect, its complexity. Each of the categories identified through our analysis is a phenomenon in itself and in each activity, attitudes, representations, emotions, meanings, and behavior change.

<p>I denna uppsats undersöker vi huruvida invandrare diskrimineras på den svenska arbetsmarknaden. Vi undersöker även om förhållandet skiljer sig när vi endast tittar på gruppen kvinnor, och gör en jämförelse mellan svenskfödda kvinnor och invandrarkvinnor. Vi använder oss av två modeller för att estimera löneskillnader, dummyvariabel modellen och Blinder-Oaxaca modellen. Våra resultat ger tydliga indikationer på lönediskriminering gentemot invandrare, kvinnor och en ännu tydligare lönediskriminering gentemot invandrarkvinnor. Vi anser att invandrarkvinnor drabbas av en så kallad dubbel diskriminering, där den övriga populationen i genomsnitt ges 28,4% högre lön än invandrarkvinnor.</p> / <p>In this thesis we investigate whether immigrant are being discriminated on the Swedish labor market. We also examine if this differentiates itself when we put our focus on the women as a group and thereafter make comparison between Swedish born women and women born outside Sweden. We have employed two models in order to determine wage differences, the dummy variable model and the Blinder-Oaxaca model. Our results show a distinct indication of wage discrimination against immigrants, women and even a more comprehensive discrimination towards immigrant women. Immigrant women have in general 28,4% lower wage than the average population. According to our findings therefore, foreign women are subjects to double discrimination.</p>

I denna uppsats undersöker vi huruvida invandrare diskrimineras på den svenska arbetsmarknaden. Vi undersöker även om förhållandet skiljer sig när vi endast tittar på gruppen kvinnor, och gör en jämförelse mellan svenskfödda kvinnor och invandrarkvinnor. Vi använder oss av två modeller för att estimera löneskillnader, dummyvariabel modellen och Blinder-Oaxaca modellen. Våra resultat ger tydliga indikationer på lönediskriminering gentemot invandrare, kvinnor och en ännu tydligare lönediskriminering gentemot invandrarkvinnor. Vi anser att invandrarkvinnor drabbas av en så kallad dubbel diskriminering, där den övriga populationen i genomsnitt ges 28,4% högre lön än invandrarkvinnor. / In this thesis we investigate whether immigrant are being discriminated on the Swedish labor market. We also examine if this differentiates itself when we put our focus on the women as a group and thereafter make comparison between Swedish born women and women born outside Sweden. We have employed two models in order to determine wage differences, the dummy variable model and the Blinder-Oaxaca model. Our results show a distinct indication of wage discrimination against immigrants, women and even a more comprehensive discrimination towards immigrant women. Immigrant women have in general 28,4% lower wage than the average population. According to our findings therefore, foreign women are subjects to double discrimination.

This study examines the experiences of highly educated South Asian immigrant women working as home-based entrepreneurs within ethnic enclaves in Toronto, Canada. The importance of their work and experiences need to be understood in the context of two processes. On the one hand, there is the neoliberal hegemonic discourse of “enterprising self” that encourages individuals to become “productive”, self-responsible, citizen-subjects, without depending on state help or welfare to succeed in the labour market. On the other hand, there is the racialized and gendered labour market that systematically devalues the previous education and skills of non-white immigrants and pushes them towards jobs that are low-paid, temporary and precarious in nature. In the light of the above situations, I argue that in the process of setting up their home-based businesses, South Asian immigrant women in my study negotiate the barriers they experience in two ways. First, despite being inducted into different (re)training and (re)learning that aim to improve their deficiencies, they continue to believe in their abilities and resourcefulness, thereby challenging the “remedial” processes that try to locate lack in their abilities. Second, by negotiating gender ideologies within their families and drawing on community ties within enclaves they keep at check the individuating and achievement oriented ideology of neoliberalism. They, therefore, demonstrate how the values of an “enterprising self” can be based on collaboration and relationship rather than competition, profit or material success. The concept of “negotiation”, as employed in this thesis, denotes a form of agency different from the commonly perceived notions of agency as formal, large-scale, macro organization or resistance. Rather, the concept is based on how women resort to multiple, various and situational practices of conformity and contestation that often can blend into each other.