Migrant men in women s work: Temporariness and secondariness of long term care work within the migratory journey

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1 Migrant men in women s work: Temporariness and secondariness of long term care work within the migratory journey Dr Shereen Hussein Principal Research Fellow, King s College London, UK Professor Karen Christensen Head of Sociology Department, Bergen University, Norway

2 Gender, Work & Organization, 8 th Biennial International 2 Introduction and Background The Topic : Occupational segregation Men in women s work Gender & migration intersection The Projects: Data from two studies focusing on migrants experiences of entering and working in the British long term care sector Study A: 20 in-depth interviews conducted in as part of a wider study total 256 participants; including 96 migrants Study B: 8 life story interviews, conducted in Research Questions How can we understand men s entry dynamics into women s work when applying the perspective of migrant men? Filling a gap in current conceptual knowledge Too much on advantages for men in women s work Too much social control theory individually based

3 3 Data 20 in-depth interviews and 8 life-story interviews Came from 15 different countries, Experiences of working in direct LTC care jobs Many with middle class background Additional analysis of national workforce data, comparing British and migrant men profiles

4 4 The Long Term Care Sector (LTC) Moved from family care to the public sphere after WWII Remained women s work Regarded as women s work And performed in the majority by women Large (2M care workers) and expanding Low paid Majority of wages on or around the NMW Low status No career progression path The sector holding a secondary labour market position

5 Gender, Work & Organization, 8th Biennial International 5 Migrant men in the LTC sector Men over represented among migrants when compared to British workers (27% vs. 15%) Migrant men employed in sectors with poorer working conditions and with more challenging service users Migrant men less represented in managerial roles: they are placed at the bottom of the hierarchy

6 6 Analytical framework The analysis point of departure is the concepts of finders, seekers and settlers (Williams & Villemez, 1993; Simpson, 2005) Revolving doors (Jacobs, 1989) Questioning the concept of a trap door Questioning the concept of finding by stumbling Introducing the understanding of more negotiations taken place Strategies to reverse perception of subordination Negotiating own and destination values Migrant settlers Dynamics and processes

7 7 Findings 1 Blocking & barriers to entry Finding a trap door It was difficult because this care assistant job is a feminine job, that is 99 percent of these care workers are women. That makes it difficult; it means men are discriminated against because female workers are there for each other. (Marcin, 59, Poland) The story after the trap door Patrick, 41 years, South Africa Couldn t get a position easily through recruitment agencies Searched and found an area where male carers are needed Live-in carers for men with spinal injuries

8 8 Findings 2: Stumbling upon care work Stumbling vs. Finding Prince, 26 years, South Africa Son of a Dutch father and a South Africa mother Decided to use his dual nationality to come to the UK Tried many low paid jobs Knew about care work from a girlfriend Role of social capital in gaining knowledge & access to LTC work Inability to secure other work Taiwo, 34 years, Nigerian Typical make education Would never have considered this type of work Started in the sector through working with a charity providing social care to young offenders Moved to working with adults with learning disabilities

9 9 Findings 3: Negotiating a position within women s work Reversing the subordination Temporariness & secondariness of LTC work Pragmatic approach Highlighting advantages associated with this work Adventure Flexible: allow time to pursue main interests & goals Support from peers and social networks Comparison with previous jobs in the UK Higher job satisfaction It s the people I meet; they are 80 or 90 and over 90. Their perspective of what is happening is totally different. (Emil, 31, Polish) I joke with them, they all know me. (Sulislaw, 29, Polish)

10 10 Findings 4: Migrant men settlers Deciding to stay and move up the ladder Drawing strength on own cultural norms Decisions taken within the wider migratory context Usually involves a decision that would impact on the whole family Gaining further relevant qualifications Enabling upward mobility within the sector or the neighboring health sector Especially those from cultures where elders are respected and cared for by the whole family Developing a perception of importance In the UK they need my work because the families don t care about their own elders Transnationally crossing cultural values

11 11 Conclusion The intersection between migration & gender on men s entry to women s work Dynamics of negotiation within the process at all its stages Stumbling Finding Secondariness Temporariness Deskilling & further disadvantages when negotiating doing something you don t want to do Evolving solutions & coping strategies

12 12 Acknowledgment and disclaimer We are grateful the funders of the original studies the Department of Health in England [NIHR-CCF 056/0013] and the Meltzer Foundation, Norway [grant number ] and acknowledge the contribution of our colleagues Jill Manthorpe, Martin Stevens and Ingrid Guldvik to the original studies while noting that they are not responsible for the arguments in this paper. We are most thankful to the participants in our studies and in particular the migrant men. The views expressed here are of the authors alone and do not necessarily represent the views of the funders.

13 13 Thank you & contacts