One of “the Guys”: How Racially Stigmatized Men Acquire Status in German Care Homes

This article explores how hegemonic gender beliefs allow racially stigmatized men to gain status in women-dominated care work settings in Germany. Through ethnographic research conducted in elder care homes, the study examines the experiences of migrant men from countries in West Asia and Africa who do professional care work in German elder care homes, highlighting the duality of their position as both stigmatized and valorized racialized men. While these men face mistrust stemming from racialized gender stereotypes, they also benefit from cultural expectations that valorize “masculine” qualities in institutional care work settings. The findings reveal how racial disadvantage coexists with gendered valorization in feminized types of work, requiring migrant men to navigate a complex landscape of deeply entrenched gendered and racial stereotypes. They further show how the partial destabilization of racial inequalities simultaneously reproduces deeply entrenched gender inequalities.