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‘Finally, We Are Well, Stable’: Perception of Agency in the Biographies of Precarious Migrant Workers

Author

Listed:
  • Lucie Trlifajová

    (Institute of Sociology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Czech Republic)

  • Lenka Formánková

    (Institute of Sociology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Czech Republic)

Abstract
This article examines how experience with precarious work influences the notions of control and empowerment among female migrant workers. Instead of focusing on migrant workers as victims of a continuous chain of precarious employment, the article aims to enrich the current knowledge by focusing on the complexity of elements involved in subjective assessments of agency. Based on research of Ukrainian female migrants, we show how precarious jobs can be perceived as enabling, allowing women more control over their lives. To understand these perceptions of agency, we show how important it is to focus on the embeddedness of migrants’ reflective choices in their life trajectories. In the context of migration, this implies a shift in understanding from one in which migrants compare their experience (of labour or gender structures) between country of origin and country of destination towards a more nuanced approach.

Suggested Citation

  • Lucie Trlifajová & Lenka Formánková, 2023. "‘Finally, We Are Well, Stable’: Perception of Agency in the Biographies of Precarious Migrant Workers," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 37(6), pages 1583-1604, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:woemps:v:37:y:2023:i:6:p:1583-1604
    DOI: 10.1177/09500170221092351
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kavita Datta & Cathy McIlwaine & Yara Evans & Joanna Herbert & Jon May & Jane Wills, 2007. "From Coping Strategies to Tactics: London's Low‐Pay Economy and Migrant Labour," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 45(2), pages 404-432, June.
    2. Umut Erel, 2007. "Constructing Meaningful Lives: Biographical Methods in Research on Migrant Women," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 12(4), pages 35-48, August.
    3. Eve Chiapello & Luc Boltanski, 2005. "The New Spirit of Capitalism," Post-Print hal-00680089, HAL.
    4. Agnieszka Rydzik & Sundari Anitha, 2020. "Conceptualising the Agency of Migrant Women Workers: Resilience, Reworking and Resistance," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 34(5), pages 883-899, October.
    5. Eve Chiapello & Luc Boltanski, 2005. "The New Spirit of Capitalism," Post-Print hal-00678024, HAL.
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