Refugee women’s establishment in the rural north of Sweden: cultural capital in meeting local labour market needs

This paper investigates opportunities and obstacles refugee women face in establishment rural areas. Drawing on ethnographic research three municipalities northern Sweden, including interviews with women, local employers educational staff, I analyse the women’s space for agency to use capitalise different resources relation labour market belonging. Applying Bourdieu’s conceptualisation of cultural capital, as read by Skeggs, show that can embodied capital feminine ethnic caregiving. However, due lack ‘right’ institutional certificates from Swedish institutions, devaluation foreign credentials experiences, this is mainly difficult-to-fill, unsecure jobs elder care or early childhood education sectors. The limited options ‘enterprise themselves up’ contribute ethnicisation work markets. Moreover, mobility key (cars driving licences) work, belonging both masculine culture remote areas national gender equality further limit establishment.