Gender, Class, and Ethnicity: Perspectives of White Portuguese and Black African Women on Labor Dynamics in the Cleaning Sector

Maria Helena Santos (), Núria Romão and Carla Cerqueira
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Maria Helena Santos: Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), CIS-IUL, 1649-026 Lisbon, Portugal
Núria Romão: Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), 1649-026 Lisbon, Portugal
Carla Cerqueira: Lusófona University—CICANT, 4000-098 Porto, Portugal

Social Sciences, 2022, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-19

Abstract: This study focuses on cleaning services in Lisbon, Portugal, to understand the dynamics of operating in this feminine context, mostly employing women of African origin. From a qualitative and intersectional perspective, the study encompasses 17 semi-structured individual interviews with women working in these services, nine of African origin (Black) and eight of Portuguese origin (White) between 29 and 66 years of age. The thematic analysis returned five themes portraying the specificities associated with women carrying out their activities in a context of low social status, particularly for Black women. Although we verified some of the negative consequences associated with tokenism, the intersections of gender, class, and race/ethnicity generated dynamics that also contradict this phenomenon.

Keywords: gender; class; ethnicity; tokenism; intersectionality; cleaning sector; women (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A B N P Y80 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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