Research project Health and economic disparities in the integration process of queer migrants
Due to employment transitions, changes in type of residence, loss of social supports, and acclimation to a new health service system, immigrants temporarily or permanently face challenges in terms of income, professional status, and health outcomes such as anxiety, depression, HIV/AIDS, and various forms of chronic disease.
These transitions can be more complex for queer migrants, who often negotiate homophobia from their families and co-ethnics in close living arrangements, may be 'coming out' after arrival, and may lack social supports among the LGBTQ community in Sweden. They may also be unfamiliar with how to find health services or practitioners serving the LGBTQ community (e.g., HIV testing sites, LGBTQ counsellors).
This project seeks to understand how these complexities may manifest in more severe economic and health constraints for the growing queer migrant population. Using interviews with queer migrants, foremost with queer asylum seekers, a focus on their challenges on the migration process, labour market integration and health development will be illuminated. This will contribute to wider knowledge about the challenges queer migrants face in their aspirations to integrate into the Swedish society.
Project members
Members
Thomas Wimark
Docent
