A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Promise of Gender Equality, Disrupted : Finnish Working Life in Experiences of Migrant Women
Authors: Dergacheva, Yulia
Publisher: Scandinavian University Press
Publication year: 2025
Journal:: Retfaerd: Nordisk Juridisk Tidsskrift
Volume: 48
Issue: 2
First page : 34
Last page: 54
DOI: https://doi.org/10.18261/ret.48.2.3
Web address : https://www.scup.com/doi/10.18261/ret.48.2.3
Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/499951886
Despite Finland’s globally acknowledged image as a happy country that has achieved gender equality, migrantwomen in Finland experience intersecting forms of discrimination and gender-based violence while also beingthe least employed demographic in the country. This qualitative study examines how migrant women navigate thecontrast between an idealised narrative explicitly taught to migrants and their lived experiences of oppression.The research combines data from in-depth interviews with eight migrant women and five experts on sexualharassment, autoethnography, and desk research. Utilising Sara Ahmed’s concept of the ‘promise of happiness’
and affective dissonance provided deep insight into the affective dimension of oppression in the ‘happiest countryin the world.’ I argue that the gap between the ‘promise of happiness’ and real-life experiences produces affectivedissonance, which migrant women process in various ways. Reactions to this dissonance can be anti-liberating,such as denial of oppression or attributing gender inequality to the figure of the ‘Other’. Alternatively, processingaffective dissonance has emancipatory potential, including solidarity, resistance, and rejection of the ‘good migrant’narrative.
Downloadable publication This is an electronic reprint of the original article. |  |
Funding information in the publication:
This work is a part of the Mobile Futures – Diversity, Trust and Two-Way Integration research project and is funded by the Strategic Research Council (SRC) established within the Academy of Finland (grant decisions number 345154 and 345405); the Faculty of Law
at the University of Turku; TOP-Säätiö (grant decision number 20220259).
