In autumn 2017, the affordable housing company Botkyrkabyggen started the gender equality project Qvinna in Botkyrka, which provides unemployed women of foreign descent who live in Botkyrkabyggen residences with jobs and language classes. The women clean the entryways and yards of the residential housing blocks. They get training in gender equality, health and fitness, CPR, as well as how to handle threatening and violent situations. They also undergo a health exam via the company’s health service and develop their own action plans as a result.

Today, the company can confirm that the work of these women has helped contribute to an increased sense of well-being in the areas where the women work. Vandalism has decreased, they act as good role models for the area and their sense of independence has increased, which is a consequence of their ability to provide for themselves, a better knowledge of Swedish and Swedish society. They are good ambassadors for the affordable housing company and act as role models for other people in the area who want to break free of their isolation, earn their own money and develop better Swedish skills and a better understanding of how the majority society functions.

Botkyrkabyggen also sees that when the women work on and take over the public spaces – the sense of security increases for everyone. Environments where women and children thrive and where everyone thrives regardless of their sex and age. Environments that are dominated by men and are shaped by men do not create a sense of security for everyone; the men thrive but not all of the women and children. Making Qvinna in Botkyrka visible, having them take over and work in these areas has a longer lasting effect than just keeping the areas clean and tidy.

There are currently 15 women who are employed as part of the Qvinna in Botkyrka project. Their work is expanding now in that they will also be cleaning the company’s local offices as well as headquarters. They will also take over cleaning of the entryways for the residential buildings being renovated, as well as the of site cabins for the construction company. In the spring, the women also received health and lifestyle training.

The goal is to hire 100 women as a part of Qvinna in Botkyrka by 2025 and to have all of cleaning in our areas performed by these women. As the agreements with the company’s vendors who currently provide cleaning services in those areas expire, the work will be replaced by women with Qvinna in Botkyrka, who are hired by Botkyrkabyggen with wages comparable to those of other collective agreements.