Hypervulnerability and Agency
The Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic on Migrant Women Working in the Domestic Services Sector
At a glance
- Project leader : Prof. Dr. Miryan Carbajal
- Co-project leader : Prof. Dr. Milena Chimienti, Dr. Dilyara Müller-Suleymanova
- Project team : Emma Gauttier, Dr. Christina Mittmasser
- Project budget : CHF 458'348
- Project status : ongoing
- Funding partner : SNSF (NFP 80 «Covid-19 in der Gesellschaft» / Projekt Nr. 210024)
- Project partner : Haute école spécialisée de Suisse occidentale HES-SO Fribourg-Freiburg / Hauteécole fribourgeoise de travail social, Haute école spécialisée de Suisse occidentale HES-SO Genève / Hauteécole fribourgeoise de travail social
- Contact person : Dilyara Müller-Suleymanova
Description
Migrant women working in domestic service have been particularly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic by virtue of their social position and legal status. This project aims to study the effects of the pandemic on these women’s lives. Female domestic workers from a migrant background play an essential role in keeping society functioning. They are indispensable to the wellbeing of many households, notably by providing care services for children, the elderly and the sick. However, their work is underestimated. The Covid-19 pandemic had a huge impact on their living conditions. At present, however, little is known about the effects of the pandemic on these women as a function of their residence status (type of permit or no permit), the nature of their work (formal or informal) and their capacity to act (agency). This project sets out to fill this gap in our current knowledge.