Migration and precarious work: Understanding the intersection between social categories

Abstract

Brazil has received a significant influx of immigrants from the Global South, largely composed
of women who are part of precarious work networks. The aim was to reflect on the precariousness of work in
the context of South-South migration, considering the intersection between gender, race-ethnicity and social
class in determining subalternity and inequities. Reflective and argumentative essay structured around two
cores of meaning: i) conceptual review, which recovers definitions from seminal works and ii) critical analysis
of articles selected for their relevance and current status in the field of migration and feminist studies. The
results revealed that the precariousness of these women’s work is not restricted to an economic issue but
reflects historical and structural inequalities deeply marked by intersectionalities that reinforce cycles of
marginalization and inequality. Xenophobia, racism and sexism act in conjunction with social class to create
and perpetuate subalternity and inequities both at work and in life. Intersectional approach is powerful for
understanding multiple oppressions that perpetuate the exploitation of immigrant women in the context of
South-South migration in Brazil.