Open AccessSVART ARBETE, VITT ARBETE: Hur lite skit i hörnen blev ett rent helvete
Author(s) -
Lotta Björklund Larsen
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
antropologi
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2596-5425
pISSN - 0906-3021
DOI - 10.7146/ta.v0i51.106702
Subject(s) - newspaper , context (archaeology) , politics , immigration , work (physics) , state (computer science) , welfare state , black market , welfare , sociology , political science , law , engineering , history , mechanical engineering , archaeology , algorithm , computer science
The article discusses a case which made the headlines of Swedish newspapers in the
spring of 2003. A group of suburban women was caught using an immigrant woman
without work permit to clean their homes. The indictments read “crimes against the
aliens act”, but the debate focused on svart arbete, literally translated as black market
work or moonlighting. Both svart arbete and paid home-cleaning contribute to an
infected debate with political undertones in Swedish society. The article makes an
analysis of the women’s justifications and explanations of their use of domestic cleaning
services in the context of changes currently underway in Swedish society. The welfare
state and its institutions are adapting to EU-membership and an enlarged labour market.
Individual actors, both providers and buyers, respond to these market possibilities in
different ways. Ethical and economic considerations are examined vis-à-vis these
women’s own employment, and in regard to perceived earning possibilities for the
foreign cleaning woman. Different conceptions of formal and informal work in the
domestic sphere are discussed.