Abstract:
Exploring gender and feminization in healthcare professions within welfare
institutions is an important issue. This article explores the experiences of male
immigrant healthcare assistants with racialized features in Norwegian elderly care. A
key narrative theme was how notions such as gender and categories of class
reinforce structural power relationships, positioning male immigrants in elderly care
as “lacking” and/or vulnerable with respect to self-esteem. In the analysis,
participants’ experiences were perceived, contested, and negotiated within the
themes of: (a) Gender Identities: Negotiations among male immigrant healthcare
assistants, and (b) The interwoven process of gender and class.
Participatory parity (Fraser, 2008) and perspectives of intersectionality (Crenshaw,
1989) were applied to explore how notions of gender and categories of class limit
and reinforce power relationships. The analysis sheds light on how such notions and
categories reinforce structural power relationships. Furthermore, the article argues
that understanding the impact of gender on the Norwegian care sector must address
how specific categories of individuals are affected, in addition to the attendant labour
market challenges.
