Leader: Giuseppe Gabrielli (UNINA); Other collaborator(s):
The increase in the elderly population and elders suffering from chronic diseases and disabilities implies a growing demand for surveillance and care programs. Dealing with ageing’s social sustainability implies promoting policies for the inclusion of foreign workers and their families, differentiating strategies according to the temporal character of their migratory projects. The analysis of migrants’ working and living conditions is essential to identify barriers preventing full integration and to define suitable actions to promote inclusion. This is particularly important with reference to migrant women, who tend to suffer from a triple disadvantage as women, foreigners and job-segregated workers in the family-services sector.
Brief description of the activities and of the intermediate results
Therefore, it will be crucial to analyze the factors that can reduce the negative effects of segregation, as social isolation, and foster a positive process of inclusion in the Italian society, such as those social and political activities carried out by and with the ethnic communities, volunteering associations, and trade unions who operate in Italian cities. They represent the specific forms of aggregation and sociability that female foreign domestic and care workers exert.
Using the ad-hoc module of the Italian Labour Force Survey (2021), we analysed the working (including overeducation, underemployment, and part-time work) and living conditions (isolation) of foreign women employed in the personal and household services (PHS) determining the extent to which they face unfavorable working and living conditions than their Italian counterparts and other migrant workers employed in other sectors. This outcome makes them notably vulnerable. Based on a notable dearth of comparative quantitative analyses at the European level in this topic, our goal in the coming months is to partially fill this gap by analysing the working and living conditions of foreign workers in PHS in Europe by using a cross-country approach.
Main policy, industrial and scientific implications
The findings highlighted that, despite the substantial importance of migrant workers employed in personal services, foreign women are not sufficiently protected by Italian labor laws and social systems making them more vulnerable than native and foreign workers in other sectors. One of the most critical aspects concerns the social isolation of foreign domestic workers which further exacerbates their social vulnerability, hindering their integration and social cohesion in the host country.
These findings underline the need to promote policies and active interventions that improve working conditions and foster not only the economic integration of migrant workers but also all the other (cultural, social and political) dimensions of integration that together contribute to higher levels of well-being and social cohesion. Investments should focus on fighting discrimination, recognizing and enhancing the human capital of foreigners, enabling them to fill jobs based on their skills, and setting social and legal standards to ensure appropriate treatment of workers by employers. But efforts should also be directed towards the promotion of the cultural, social and political capital of migrants.
Content: The task aims to provide a robust and multidimensional understanding of the process of incorporation of foreign immigrants in Europe, and, in particular, in Italy. The research will shed light on the theoretical debate by providing evidence on specific migrants’ characteristics, living conditions and employment-related characteristics of domestic and care workers determining the extent to which they face heightened risks in these domains more than the other workers. Analyses on the social and political participation of domestic and care workers, as a means of countering social isolation and vulnerability, has begun.
Data collection: The time-series of Eurostatat micro-data on Labour Force Survey (LFS) have been retrieved. In particular, the task aims to use the ad-hoc module of 2021 on the “Labor market situation of immigrants and their immediate descendants" which oversampling of the foreign population.
Sample survey on “Formazione, Occupazione, Lavoro di Cura e Salute degli Immigrati e delle persone con background migratorio presenti in Italia (FOLCSI)” [Training, Employment, Care Work and Health of Immigrants and people with a migratory background present in Italy] is in progress.
Data Analysis: Analysis of secondary data (main sources are ISTAT and INPS) is either completed or currently in progress
Dissemination Activities: Dissemination efforts have already begun and are ongoing. In particular some results of the task have been presented in the PNRR Age-IT General Meeting (Venice, May 20-22), LX Riunione Scientifica SIEDS (Milan, May 22-24), and the European Population Conference (Edinburgh, June 12-15).
Scientific Publications: Writing of abstracts, working papers, and scientific articles are ongoing.
Content: The research is ongoing for providing evidence on specific migrants’ characteristics, living conditions and employment-related characteristics of domestic and care workers determining the extent to which they face heightened risks in these domains more than the other workers. Analyses on the social and political participation of domestic and care workers, as a means of countering social isolation and vulnerability, are continuing.
Data collection: Sample survey on “Formazione, Occupazione, Lavoro di Cura e Salute degli Immigrati e delle persone con background migratorio presenti in Italia (FOLCSI)” [Training, Employment, Care Work and Health of Immigrants and people with a migratory background present in Italy] is in progress.
Data Analysis: Analysis of secondary data (main sources are ISTAT and INPS) is either completed or currently in progress. The analysis of the ad-hoc module of EU-LFS 2021 started.
Dissemination Activities: Dissemination efforts have already begun and are ongoing. In particular some results of the task have been presented in the 21st IMISCOE Annual Conference (Lisboa, July 2-5), the 16th Conference of the International Society for Third-Sector Research (Antwerp, July 16-19), and the 16th ESA conference (Porto, August 27-30).
Policy Brief: A policy brief on measures to support migrants’ integration in the ageing societies is currently in progress.
Scientific Publications: Writing of abstracts, working papers, and scientific articles are ongoing.
Content: The research is ongoing to provide evidence on specific migrants’ characteristics, living conditions and employment-related characteristics of domestic and care workers determining the extent to which they face heightened risks in these domains more than the other workers. Analyses on the social and political participation of domestic and care workers, as a means of countering social isolation and vulnerability, are continuing. Job satisfaction of domestic workers has been analysed as well.
Data collection: Data collection of sample survey on “Formazione, Occupazione, Lavoro di Cura e Salute degli Immigrati e delle persone con background migratorio presenti in Italia (FOLCSI)” [Training, Employment, Care Work and Health of Immigrants and people with a migratory background present in Italy] is concluded and preparation of the dataset is in progress.
Data Analysis: Analysis of secondary data (main sources are ISTAT and INPS) is currently in progress. The analysis of the ad-hoc module of EU-LFS 2021 is in progress.
Dissemination Activities: Dissemination efforts are ongoing. In particular, some results of the task have been presented in the Workshop “People on the move. Connecting people, expanding knowledge on migration” (University of Naples Federico II, 6 November 2024); in the AIS Political Sociology Conference “Democracy and Society. Challenges, Risks and Opportunities for Contemporary Democracy” (University of Bologna, 10-12 October).
Policy Brief: A policy brief on measures to support migrants’ integration in the ageing societies is currently in progress.
Scientific Publications: Writing of abstracts, working papers, and scientific articles is ongoing.
Articles and Chapters
2024 (online first) – Gatti R., «The Speech of Migrant Women. Audibility in Public as a Performative Exercise of Citizenship». In Tasis Moratinos, E., Chang, T-h., Moreno Giménez A. (eds.) A Transdisciplinary Study of Global Mobilities. Identities on the Move, Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 99-126. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-74539-3_5
Gabrielli G., Paterno A., Dezio M. (2023), Migrants’ characteristics, working and living conditions in the household services, Rivista Italiana di Economia Demografia e Statistica, 77(3): pp. 67-78.
Presentations
Gatti, R., «The interplay of gender, migration and citizenship. Insights from the Italian case» (University of Naples Federico II, 6 November 2024)
Gatti, R., «The Speech of Migrant Women. Audibility In Public as a Performative Exercise of Citizenship» (University of Bologna, 11 October 2024)