“ Stereotyper om oss gör att vi står utanför den reguljära arbetsmarknaden”

Sammanfattning: Women not born in Europe have the highest rates of unemployment in Sweden. These women have a tough time adjusting in the job market and are being discriminated against for several reasons, the most prominent reason being their social background, which includes their cultural and ethnic background. The purpose of this study is to examine the experiences of women born in countries outside of Europe, and their reflections on how their social backgrounds affect the assimilation in the Swedish job market. The method in this study is six qualitative interviews with women born in non-European countries, where these women tell their experiences regarding the job market in Sweden. The results show that all women are in a difficult position in the Swedish job market, partly because of their cultural norms which make it difficult for them to get accustomed to part-time jobs (in their culture, women are tied to the home and watching the children) and partly because of the discrimination that they face where their ethnic backgrounds cause unemployment due to stereotypes. They also do not fulfill the criteria that are necessary for a job in Sweden. According to employers, language barriers are one of the biggest problems that they face. According to these women, contacts within the industries and language skills are required for a job in Sweden. This study also shows that the effort made by the government and other agencies is not enough to help these women get jobs.