The importance of friends: social life challenges for foreign physicians in Southern Sweden

Abstract

The article connects the fields of work/non-work research with the research on social integration of migrants. It is based on in-depth interviews with foreign physicians in the south of Sweden which explored their work/non-work experiences and their subjective perceptions of managing work, family, social and private domains of life. Based on individual reflections of social life as experienced in the workplace, in the locations of everyday life and transnationally, the analysis does not pursue the existence and composition of social networks but focuses on non-instrumental aspects of social life and explores their significance for high-skilled migrants' own sense of integration. The findings suggest that migrants who are privileged in terms of education and employment still face extensive challenges in the social domain of life, especially with regard to close friendships. The findings furthermore suggest that social integration is a process that is influenced by place, time and individual life trajectories and therefore cannot be truthfully accounted for by looking at the numbers and ethnic composition of a migrant's social relations. It is the quality of relationsnotably friendshipsthat matters most. RÉSUMÉ Cet article associe les champs de la recherche sur le travail/nontravail avec la recherche sur ĺintégration sociale des migrants. Il est basé sur des entretiens approfondis avec des médecins étrangers basés dans le sud de la Suède, explorant leurs expériences professionnelles/non-professionnelles ainsi que leurs perceptions subjectives de la gestion de la vie professionnelle, familiale, sociale et privée. Fondée sur des réflexions individuelles sur la vie sociale vécue sur le lieu de travail, dans les lieux de la vie quotidienne et au niveau transnational, cette analyse ne cherche pas á étudier ĺexistence et la composition des réseaux sociaux, mais se concentre sur les aspects non-instrumentaux de la vie sociale et explore leur signification pour le sentiment d intégration des migrants hautement qualifiés. Les résultats suggèrent que, malgré des privilèges en termes d´éducation et d emploi, les migrants doivent encore faire face à des défis ARTICLE HISTORY

Migrant physicians’ conceptions of working in rural and remote areas in Sweden: A qualitative study

“…On the other hand, being unique in this way could also be seen as an opportunity to learn about Swedish culture and develop language skills. Previous research has acknowledged that being part of the community is an important dimension of quality in rural life [8] and for highly skilled migrants in general [38]. Our results add to previous research which has suggested that being able to have a social life is important.…”

“…Being integrated into a social context might therefore be important, but it would be difficult to achieve without cooperation from the surrounding community (cf. [38]). It is recommended that aspects other than just professional concerns could be included in further developments.…”

The Negotiation of New Family Formation Post‐migration among Low‐wage Migrant Workers: The Case of Canada

“…Perry (2018) found that employer-provided housing can generate negative coworker dynamics, thus aggravating workers' social isolation. In her work with migrant fast-food counter attendants in Alberta, Polanco (2016) similarly found that employer-supported pathways to permanent residence encourage workers to compete with each other for limited nomination spots, thereby engendering compliance in the workplace. Other researcher, on the other hand, have found that the forging of friendships among workers can provide an important mechanism for coping with social exclusion (Mayell, 2016).…”

Re-made in Sweden: Success Stories in a Swedish Migration Context

“…There is, however, a growing literature on particular professional categories and highly skilled migrants (c.f. Frykman & Öhlander 2018;Irastorza & Bevelander 2017) such as academics (Behtoui 2017;Mählck 2013;Olsson, Behtoui, & Leivestad 2018;Wolanik Boström 2005) and physicians (Frykman & Mozetič 2019;Wolanik Boström & Öhlander 2011, 2012, 2015 that may offer important insights into the topic. This diverse research shows that the pathways to advanced positions in the Swedish society are, in many respects, challenging (Sandelind & Ådahl 2010).…”