Migrant Women, Domestic Work and the Sex Trade in Greece-a Snapshot of Migrant Policy in the Making

Abstract

This article focuses on migrant women's diverse experiences in the Greek labour market. Since the early 1980s all four Southern European countries of the EU, Spain, Portugal, Greece and Italy, have been transformed from emigration into immigration countries. The new immigrants, mostly undocumented and illegal, join the informal labour market under highly exploitative conditions. Starting from migrant women's own perspectives, we analyze their experiences (1) in the framework of the unfolding «Mediterranean immigration model»; (2) in the midst of increasing migratory flows to Greece in particular; (3) in the context of the legal and policy framework for migrants in Greece; and (4) in the framework of women's citizenship in society. Our qualitative study of immigrant women in Greece fleshes out the general trends of women's participation in informal labour markets, documents the multi-layered nature of their economic and social exclusion, and highlights the intersecting racialization and sexist practices shaping their experiences

Prosecutors and Use of Restorative Justice in Courts: Greek Case

“…To challenge the persistence of patriarchal attitudes in the society, legal provisions must be properly enforced. However, scholars often describe the Greek state bureaucracy as corrupt, where rules and legal procedures are inconsistently applied (Karakatsanis & Swarts, 2003). In addition, the Greek government is repeatedly criticized for either not enforcing gender-based laws or for not taking full comprehensive measures to eliminate violence against women and trafficking (Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, 2007).…”

Les Infirmières Exclusives and Migrant Quasi-Nurses in Greece

“…An ageing population, changing family structures and lifestyles for women and a rudimentary welfare state unable to provide adequate care for people with special needs, the elderly and the sick, make the demand for such services imperative (Lazaridis, 2000: 50). In the Greek context, research so far has concentrated on migrant women who work as domestic workers (Lazaridis, 2000), or as prostitutes (Emke-Poulopoulos, 2001;Karakatsanis and Swarts, 2003;Lazaridis, 2001;Lazos, 2002aLazos, , 2002b. There is little, if any, research on those working as quasi-nurses/carers or as infirmières exclusives.…”

Gender, migration and domestic work: Space and the time in the discourse of albanian domestic workers in Athens

“…On the contrary, responsibility for social insurance lies entirely with the domestic workers themselves, whose access to the processes of legalization depends primarily on their ability and willingness to "buy" the social insurance stamps necessary for the acquisition of the residence permit. For this reason, most of the relevant literature has emphasized the fertile conditions for the exploitation and even the "hyper-exploitation" of migrant women within Greek households (Karakatsanis and Swarts, 2003). Working illegally, however, also offers migrant women a chance to increase their income.…”