Berta Güell: "Pakistanis spend a lot of money amongst themselves to open businesses"

BarcelonaBerta Güell (Barcelona, ​​​​1984) is a researcher at the Centre for Migration Studies and Research and has studied the Pakistani community in Barcelona in depth. Her doctoral thesis analyses the structure and dynamics of the businesses they run.

When did Pakistanis start arriving in Barcelona?

— The first ones arrived in the mid-70s. In the 80s there was a second arrival, but the strong one came from 2000 onwards, when the Spanish economy grew a lot and there was a great need for labour.

And why in Barcelona?

— There are several factors. On the one hand, there is a need for foreign labour. On the other hand, the immigration policies of other countries are beginning to be much tougher compared to Spain. In the end, they settle where the community is already strong because this helps them in the integration process and when looking for work and housing.

What would be the identikit of the Pakistani who arrives in Barcelona?

— The most typical profile is that of a man in his 30s, who comes from Punjab, from two fairly rural districts: Gujrat and Mandi Bahauddin. They usually come alone, later marry a woman in Pakistan and regroup in the city.

Has this profile changed over time?

— It has changed in the sense that until recently it was a very masculinised community. Little by little the flows have become more feminised because the number of families and women reunited with children has increased. This has meant that the proportion of children, young people and adolescents has also increased considerably.

So there is already a generation born here. Does this make integration easier?

— Yes, this happens with all groups. In general, with immigration, those who were born here or arrived at a very young age are more bicultural profiles that are always somewhat between two waters: between the culture of their country of origin and the culture here.

Is it harder for first-generation Pakistanis to open up?

— It depends. It is true that the Pakistani community has a somewhat endogamous logic and very strong networks of solidarity and reciprocity. The family is the main axis that structures it. However, when they come here there are important changes. There many live with extended family and here they often cannot maintain that structure. This, for example, has an impact on women.

What does it mean?

— Some of these women had a more independent life when they were in Pakistan, because they had all the help from their extended family and other women. And when they arrive here they become much more responsible for household chores and care. It is often said that these women do not integrate, that they are always at home looking after their children and do nothing else, and sometimes it is necessary to understand that the migration process implies changes in the family structure and that this has consequences in their lives.

Do your daughters also end up tied to household chores?

— Generally, there is a substantial change in the pattern of girls who were born here or who arrived as children compared to that of their mothers. The usual thing is that they join the receiving society as Catalans. But there is still not a very large number of people born here and we have to see a little in quantitative terms how things will go.

We have seen cases of forced marriages. Are they common?

— We must distinguish between arranged and forced marriages. There is a grey area, but arranged marriages are a very common tradition in Pakistani culture, in which parents look for potential partners for their children, but the children have the right to reject proposals and say no. In forced marriages there is no such consent and they are a form of gender violence. There are cases of these, but they are a minority.

We associate Pakistanis with grocery stores. Why do they choose that business?

— The first ones to open need workers. And they learn the trade and, when they have stability and some money, they want to open their own business. And what are they going to open? Well, what they know and what they have learned. There is a tendency towards commercial specialization. Something to keep in mind is that three basic factors circulate within the community to open a business: information, labor and money.

Where does that money come from?

— There are many mutual aid networks and they share a lot of money with each other. They have a much easier time getting loans than other groups.

Their jobs often involve very long working hours.

— It is a tradition typical of immigrants, who are willing to work many more hours because they need to improve their quality of life and generate more income for the entire family.

Inspections have revealed some cases of substandard housing, such as workers sleeping in back rooms.

— I think that a distinction must be made between the fact that they are usually paid low wages, that they work long hours or that there may even be some degree of informal economy, and more minor cases of labour exploitation or human trafficking. A distinction must also be made between the person who has a small shop and the large businessman who has many franchises and workers. Most have one or two businesses. Those who have many supermarkets are a minority.

Are you involved in associations or business networks?

— This is also something that immigrants are often criticized for. They don't join together, they don't get involved... And here I think there should always be a two-way effort. On the one hand, there is a lack of knowledge about what a merchants' association is and what benefits it brings them. And on the other hand, within some merchants' associations there is still reluctance towards these new forms of immigrant trade, which they feel do not fit the canons of quality or aesthetics here.

They have also entered the taxi sector with force.

— It's the same mechanism as with the supermarkets. If some people start to get into the taxi world and see that it's a business that can do well for them, the rest will follow suit. It's a community that is so well organized internally and so connected that it can attract a lot of people.