Racism

In the same way that there is a gender power structure in Sweden, there is an ethnic power structure. There is an ethnic hierarchy with native-born Swedes at the top and non-Europeans at the bottom.
This structure is expressed in various ways. Placing “demands on immigrants” led to positive election results in 2002 for an established party. At the local level, anti-immigrant parties achieved their best results. In the labour market it can be seen in the denial of ethnic discrimination as a key issue as well as the treatment of immigrants as a labour reserve. Structural discrimination has become increasingly apparent as a factor in working life, school, politics, the media, the legal system, housing and welfare services.
Denial of the issue by politicians, civil servants, employers and unions has also become more apparent. Despite the goal of equal rights and opportunities,
the focus has remained on educating and controlling the immigrant. In the background is the well-worn mantra that work is the key to integration. This avoids the fact that while work is important as part of an individual’s survival
strategy, it can indicate just the opposite concerning integration.