“Weak ties” a Key Ingredient for Social Integration: Women’s Organizations and Thai Women in Sweden

Abstract: The aim of this study is to 1) describe the structure and types of associational and organizational networks within immigrant women’s community in southern Sweden Malmö, Lund and Eslöv, 2) examine how such networks facilitate Thai women’s well-being and integration by providing social supports and services, and 3) present how Thai women perceive the role of social and organizational networks in relation to the process of social integration. In-depth interviews with 9 representatives from organizations and individual semi-structured interviews with 8 Thai women are the primary source of the data collection. The concept of social capital is used to understand the structural features of the networks. The result showed that community and women’s organizations are important sources of support to Thai women. Associational networks may not be useful to improve women’s economic status, such as recruiting job, however they help the women to feel secured and connected to their host society. The findings from the in-depth interview indicated that one of the most confronting issues for Thai women is the desire of obtaining jobs. In this regard of the process gaining employment, further researches on the use of associational and organizational networks on Thai women’s employment are suggested