Activism among female migrant domestic workers: a qualitative study in southern Spain

Abstract

Domestic work is an oppressive occupational niche for migrant women. The strategies domestic workers employ to resist this situation have been scarce-ly studied. This paper is interested in their activism. Through a qualitative study in southern Spain, the meaning of such socio-political action for migrant women is explored. In the spring of 2020, eleven activists from the Se-ville Association of Domestic Workers were interviewed. The material was subjected to content analysis. The meanings associated with their activism were grouped into four categories: (1) the horizon of “struggle”, (2) the forms of “struggle”, (3) the levels of involvement, and (4) the challenges of activism. The results are limited to a historically recent case, and to a small sam-ple chosen purposively; however, they contribute to the understanding of migrant women’s agency, and open fields of reflection for domestic workers’ organizations.