Gendered migration in turbulent times in Iceland

Abstract

Despite the image of gender equality in Iceland, a highly gender-segregated labour market persists, which to a limited extent has been challenged by employment-related migration and ethnification in part of the labour market in recent years. The article, which is based on the various studies by the authors, maps the contours of migrations from the early 1990s. An intersectional approach is applied in an analysis of how gender intersects with ethnicity and class to generate the existing gendered labour market. Iceland is an interesting case for studying gender and contemporary employment-related mobility on the Atlantic rim because it has only recently become an immigration country and has experienced rising emigration of Icelanders in the wake of the financial crisis in 2008. International and internal migration is identified in the country as shaped by socio-economic restructuring at different geographical scales and labour markets characterized by gender and ethnic segregation and hierarchies. Immigrant women have taken over low-strata jobs, following the increased social and spatial mobility of Icelandic women. Meanwhile, fluctuations in the construction industry have primarily affected international migration by men.

Place, (In)Equality and Gender

“…Júlíusdóttir et al (2013) points out that in the aftermath of the financial crisis in Iceland, there has been a series of stories in the Icelandic media about men who leave Iceland to provide for their families, and here they thereby present an example of a relatively traditional masculinity ideal. They explain as follows:…”

“…According to Júlíusdóttir et al (2013), the shifts of the Icelandic labour market are closely related to issues of gender and place. First of all, they comment on how a vast amount of Icelandic women left the fishing industry during the 1990s.…”

“…Moreover, Júlíusdóttir et al (2013) conclude that the Icelandic labour market has also seen an increased number of foreigners, primarily men, being employed as a result of the fast growing construction industry (of [2005][2006][2007][2008]. These men were recruited in countries such as Poland, Portugal and China partly to work on construction projects in Reykjavik and on megaprojects, including hydroelectric plants and aluminium factories in the peripheral areas.…”

Immigrant Experiences of Learning Icelandic and Connecting with the Speaking Community

“…This large increase in just over a decade means many migrants have only lived in Iceland for a relatively short time. The primary reason for migration to Iceland has been work related, but family reunification has been an important reason as well (Júlíusdóttir, Skaptadóttir & Karlsdóttir 2013). In the mid1990s, people began to arrive on temporary work permits primarily to work in fishing, food production and service industries.…”

Gambling Debt: Iceland's Rise and Fall in the Global Economy

“…Hence, foreigners have continued to move to Iceland after the economic crisis, albeit in much lower numbers (Garðarsdóttir and Bjarnason 2010;Júlíusdóttir, Skaptadóttir, and Karlsdóttir 2013).…”