Intersectionality, the self and identity narratives of Latin American migrant women

Abstract

South American women constitute the largest group within the migrant population in Spain. These women are often recruited for domestic and care work, where they encounter various forms of discrimination. Migration prompts them to question their own identity, which is narratively reconstructed through proculturation processes.

From an intersectional perspective, this paper analyzes the identity reconstruction of four Latin American women who face the challenges of migration from an intersectional perspective. Individual interviews were conducted with migrant women who have more than 14 years of migration experience. The analysis was based on Bruner indicators of selfhood: agency, resources, social references, and coherence.

Migration itself, as a primary means of escaping poverty, is identified as a key indicator of agency. Perseverance and religion emerge as the main personal resources on which these women rely to pursue their goals. Among the social reference indicators, support was received from family members, friends, certain employers, and professionals, while ex-husbands and the broader Spanish population were identified as the main barriers to their integration. Finally, coherence indicators reveal an ongoing effort to maintain continuity during the migration process, achieved through positioning and repositioning of themselves and others, with caregiving standing out as a central element of their experience.

The results demonstrate the formation of new meanings through proculturation processes and highlight the intersection of social, political, economic, and historical dimensions of discrimination. Gender emerges as a central factor that shapes and articulates the entire migratory project.