Female and foreign: An intersectional exploration of the experiences of skilled migrant women in Qatar

This article explores how the intersection of gender and foreignness shapes the experiences of skilled migrant women. Drawing on interviews with skilled migrant women working in Qatar, we situate their experiences in institutional, organizational and sociocultural terms to show how the intersection is articulated and mobilized to subordinate, marginalize and exclude them in work and social spaces. Findings show that the intersection is used to reinforce the status of the women as outsiders to the country (foreignness) and its cultural order (gender), resulting in structural and qualitative differences in the experiences of the group. In highlighting their nuanced experiences, we contribute to debates about gender, skilled migration and work in the Middle East. We also contribute to intersectionality debates by expanding the conceptual limits and analytical use of social categories of difference to explain experiences of work and unpack the simultaneity of subject positioning within institutional, organizational and sociocultural dynamics.