Female Immigrant Cleaners’ Experience at Workplace and Transport System in Malmö

Sammanfattning: The cleaning industry plays a vital role in ensuring clean environments for individuals, businesses, and communities. However, in recent years, the industry has undergone significant transformations driven by neoliberal policies, and there is no exception in the cleaning system in Sweden. The cleaning system in Sweden has been marketized in Sweden, affecting mostly the one who works as cleaners, particularly female immigrants who dominated the industry in recent years. This study focuses on exploring the experiences of female immigrant cleaners in the Swedish cleaning industry, specifically emphasizing the challenges they face in terms of intersectional identities and transportation. It investigates the connection between the two experiences and how individual’ s work efficiency and life have been affected by them. The study engages in in-depth interviews with female immigrant cleaners in Sweden, drawing upon the qualitative research method. By employing an intersectional lens, the study examines how factors such as gender, ethnicity, and immigration status shape the experiences of these cleaners within the industry. It also explores the role of transportation in influencing their access to their overall mobility and employment opportunities. The results of this study reveal that female immigrant cleaners’ experience at the workplace based on their intersectional identities did not uniformly lead to negative insights. Also suggests that power relations are formed in a broader social and economic structures and may not be visible in individuals’ interactions. However, investigating female immigrant cleaners’ transportation-related issues, such as limited access to reliable transportation options and long commuting distances, is associated with limiting their mobility and decreasing their job opportunities. The study underscores the need for a deeper understanding of the power dynamics embedded in broader social and economic structures. Acknowledging the unique challenges female immigrant cleaners face in terms of their intersectional identities and transportation, and taking concrete actions to address these challenges, policymakers, industry stakeholders, and society can contribute to the successful integration of these individuals into Swedish society. Ensuring their access to adequate working conditions and transportation enhances the overall inclusivity of female immigrant cleaners in the whole society.