Discrimination against South American migrants in Argentina: intersections between gender, social class, and ethnic-national origin

Abstract

The article analyzes the discrimination experienced by South American migrant men and women (particularly Paraguayans and Bolivians) residing in the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area (AMBA), from an intersectional perspective that includes ethnic-national origin, gender and social class. Using the Grounded Theory strategy, we analyze 24 interviews with migrant men and women of different nationalities and social classes. As a result, we identify kinds of discrimination according to the combinations of axes of oppression. At the intersection between social class and gender, working-class women experience greater labor demands and less integration in their work environments. At the intersection between gender and ethnicity, there are testimonies of sexual harassment and mistreatment in health centers. Associated with the intersection between social class and ethnicity, there are difficulties in accessing or claiming rights, lack of professional recognition in the middle class, and public stigmatization for the working class.