Migrant entrepreneurship, social class and deservingness: migrant women entrepreneurs in neoliberal Britain

This article examines the relationship between entrepreneurial journeys and narratives of social mobility among migrant women in a hostile environment in neoliberal Britain. Drawing on biographical interviews, we discuss how women deploy entrepreneurial endeavours as strategic tools to mitigate the loss of social status resulting from relocation to the UK. Theoretically, we bridge a critical gap in migration research by exploring the interdependence between macro-level deservingness (moral worthiness) and micro-level class renegotiation (economic and structural status). While current literature frequently treats these concepts as distinct, we contend that they are deeply intertwined under a neoliberal regime. By shifting the focus of migrant entrepreneurship from purely economic metrics to a demonstration of neoliberal subjectivities, we highlight how they do this by adopting cultural meanings of neoliberalism – such as being self-made, self-invented, succeeding against all odds, and contributing – while rethinking the importance of non-financial dividends and conforming to gendered expectations within their families.