Migrant care workers in elderly care: what a study of media representations suggests about Sweden as a caring democracy
This article sheds light on the ways in which migrant care workers in the elderly care sector were represented in Swedish daily newspaper articles published between 1995 and 2017 (n = 370); it uses the notions of the “ethics of care” and “caring democracy” as a prism through which the findings can b...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Linköping University Electronic Press
2020-06-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Ageing and Later Life |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://ijal.se/article/view/3103 |
| _version_ | 1818393037036847104 |
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| author | Sandra Torres Jonas Lindblom |
| author_facet | Sandra Torres Jonas Lindblom |
| author_sort | Sandra Torres |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article sheds light on the ways in which migrant care workers in the elderly care sector were represented in Swedish daily newspaper articles published between 1995 and 2017 (n = 370); it uses the notions of the “ethics of care” and “caring democracy” as a prism through which the findings can be made sense of. By bringing attention to the fact that they are often described as the solution par excellence to the staffing crisis Swedish elderly care is experiencing, this article draws attention to portrayals of these workers as people who are both particularly good at caring and capable of providing culture-appropriate care. Thus, although depicted as “particular Others,” these workers are represented as an asset to the sector – a sector that is thought to offer much needed but highly undervalued services. By bringing attention to both of these representations, and using the theoretical and conceptual framework “ethics of care” formulated by Tronto, the article questions whether Sweden – a country often described as the epitome of an egalitarian society – can be regarded as a caring democracy. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-14T05:38:56Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1c01d318785240ed82a88af3d9df01cd |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1652-8670 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-14T05:38:56Z |
| publishDate | 2020-06-01 |
| publisher | Linköping University Electronic Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Ageing and Later Life |
| spelling | doaj.art-1c01d318785240ed82a88af3d9df01cd2022-12-21T23:15:05ZengLinköping University Electronic PressInternational Journal of Ageing and Later Life1652-86702020-06-0110.3384/ijal.1652-8670.3103Migrant care workers in elderly care: what a study of media representations suggests about Sweden as a caring democracySandra TorresJonas LindblomThis article sheds light on the ways in which migrant care workers in the elderly care sector were represented in Swedish daily newspaper articles published between 1995 and 2017 (n = 370); it uses the notions of the “ethics of care” and “caring democracy” as a prism through which the findings can be made sense of. By bringing attention to the fact that they are often described as the solution par excellence to the staffing crisis Swedish elderly care is experiencing, this article draws attention to portrayals of these workers as people who are both particularly good at caring and capable of providing culture-appropriate care. Thus, although depicted as “particular Others,” these workers are represented as an asset to the sector – a sector that is thought to offer much needed but highly undervalued services. By bringing attention to both of these representations, and using the theoretical and conceptual framework “ethics of care” formulated by Tronto, the article questions whether Sweden – a country often described as the epitome of an egalitarian society – can be regarded as a caring democracy.https://ijal.se/article/view/3103elderly careethics of caremedia representationsmigrant care workersSweden |
| spellingShingle | Sandra Torres Jonas Lindblom Migrant care workers in elderly care: what a study of media representations suggests about Sweden as a caring democracy International Journal of Ageing and Later Life elderly care ethics of care media representations migrant care workers Sweden |
| title | Migrant care workers in elderly care: what a study of media representations suggests about Sweden as a caring democracy |
| title_full | Migrant care workers in elderly care: what a study of media representations suggests about Sweden as a caring democracy |
| title_fullStr | Migrant care workers in elderly care: what a study of media representations suggests about Sweden as a caring democracy |
| title_full_unstemmed | Migrant care workers in elderly care: what a study of media representations suggests about Sweden as a caring democracy |
| title_short | Migrant care workers in elderly care: what a study of media representations suggests about Sweden as a caring democracy |
| title_sort | migrant care workers in elderly care what a study of media representations suggests about sweden as a caring democracy |
| topic | elderly care ethics of care media representations migrant care workers Sweden |
| url | https://ijal.se/article/view/3103 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT sandratorres migrantcareworkersinelderlycarewhatastudyofmediarepresentationssuggestsaboutswedenasacaringdemocracy AT jonaslindblom migrantcareworkersinelderlycarewhatastudyofmediarepresentationssuggestsaboutswedenasacaringdemocracy |