The invisible presence of migrant women in tourism: labour at the intersection of gender, class and migration

Purpose Although the tourism sector increasingly relies on migrant female labour for operational sustainability, this form of labour is frequently entrapped within a spiral of structural exploitation and invisibility. In this context, the purpose of this study is to examine the forms of invisibility of Asian migrant female labour in the spa units of hospitality establishments at the intersection of gender, class and migration, through the lens of precariat and intersectionality theories. Design/methodology/approach Designed as a qualitative case study, the research reached 31 Asian migrant women in Nevsehir using the criterion and snowball sampling techniques. Data collected via vignette-based interviews were analysed using content and descriptive analysis techniques with the support of MAXQDA software; findings were systematised using a code-sub-code-theory model. Findings The analysis identified 5 main themes, 22 sub-themes and 415 codes. The most frequently recurring findings were wage exploitation, communicative isolation, customer-induced harassment, compulsory emotional labour and status fragility. The research reveals that these elements confine women within a grip of “shadow presence”. Research limitations/implications Theoretically, this study advances the literature by synthesising precariat and intersectionality theories to decode how structural identities systematically marginalise migrant female labour. Practically, the study recommends that businesses adopt transparent policies against wage exploitation, provide language courses to address communicative isolation, offer psychological support/job rotation to address emotional labour burdens and enforce a “zero tolerance” policy regarding harassment. For policymakers, regulations that prevent informality and ensure legal integration are advised. Originality/value This research possesses methodological originality through the vignette technique, which facilitates access to sensitive data, and theoretical originality through the concepts of “shadow presence” and “parallax invisibility”, introduced to the literature via the synthesis of precariat and intersectionality theories.