Everyone wants to integrate immigrant women but not many are willing to put the work into it : A qualitative study about foreign born women’s integration into the labour market in the Swedish municipality of Jönköping

Abstract: The process of integration has been shown to be intricate and particularly detrimental to immigrant women. In examining the Swedish labour market more closely, it is evident that immigrant women are disproportionately affected by unemployment. The aim of this study was to critically assess the various obstacles identified by immigrant women themselves, as well as professionals involved in integration, with a specific focus on the local context of Jönköping municipality through semi-structured interviews. Additionally, the study sought to explore the initiatives undertaken by the municipality and the local region to address these challenges. Prior research has acknowledged the lack of accessibility of assistance sources for immigrant women, the non-recognition of their educational credentials from their home countries, the potential hindrance of domestic gender traditions in job applications, the difficulty of language proficiency, and the prevalence of discrimination as barriers for women in obtaining employment. These findings align with the results obtained from the interviews conducted. Additionally, the interviews mentioned lack of fundings to integrate women, women not receiving important information, gender stereotypes and systematic factors as factors that hinders immigrant women’s labour integration. The study emphasizes how the implementation of intersectionality theory can offer policy makers and municipality workers a deeper understanding of immigrant women.