Gender, race and migrant labour: experiences of African women in Saudi Arabia

In this era of hyper-globalisation, the intensified integration of global markets has concurrently enabled the transnational movement of labour and deepened its neoliberal commodification. Simultaneously, the neoliberal commodification of migrant reproductive labour has increasingly become foundational to contemporary production economies. The Global South, and Africa in particular, has become a key exporter of female reproductive labour for Gulf states under an exploitative neoliberal labour regime called the Kafala. This research analyses the experiences of African women in Saudi Arabia under the Kafala system. Through a comparative thematic analysis of the experiences of Kenyan and Ethiopian women, it highlights the abusive labour conditions domestic care workers endure in most Gulf countries where the Kafala regime operates. The analysis also demonstrates how gender, race and class intersect to produce gendered and racialised forms of exploitation. It highlights the broader implications of the dynamics of transnational labour mobility. The article underscores the need for comprehensive labour policy reforms aimed at protecting migrant workers.