The new migratory space in Southern Europe: the case of Colombian sex workers in Spain

Abstract

In the late eighties Southern Europe became a new migratory space. One of the most notable features of this region as a new host space for immigrants is the importance of the service sector as a source of employment for foreign workers. Unlike the Northern European countries, which, in the sixties, mainly employed their foreign workers in industry, immigrant employment in Southern Europe has mirrored the current shift towards the tertiary sector. Over the past few years, some services, such as domestic, personal and sexual services, have primarily been offered by female immigrant workers. A migratory movement of women migrating independently (without their husbands) has developed to Southern Europe, where they find work in domestic service, the care of the elderly, and as prostitutes. They form part of a new service workforce employed in precarious conditions.KeywordsImmigrant WomanForeign WorkerFemale MigrationDomestic ServiceWork PermitThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.