#31 Italian immigration policy explained: Elena Bonetti on migrant women, care work, and family

Italian immigration policy shapes the lives of migrant women working in care and domestic sectors. In this episode, Elena Bonetti, former Italian Minister for Equal Opportunities and the Family, discusses family reunification, regularisation of migrants, and the challenges facing immigrant families in Italy.

Get the enhanced episode transcript here 👉🏻 https://www.emmanuel-comte.eu/product/enhanced-transcript-31/.

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/roPKergPRJQ

Elena Bonetti breaks down immigration policy in Italy—where migrant women fill vital domestic and eldercare roles but remain trapped in irregular work and legal limbo. Drawing on her experience under the Conte II and Draghi governments, Bonetti, who is currently a leading figure in the Renew Europe group in Parliament, reveals why Italy’s Decreto Flussi is failing, how the Bossi-Fini Law still shapes migrant precarity, and what it would take to shift toward a more effective immigration policy. We discuss care work, demographic trends, the informal economy, and regularization programs.

This interview was arranged by Lisa Sottanelli and edited by Andriana Lagoudes. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Grant Agreement No 101034403.

00:00 Introduction
04:25 Early Encounters with Immigration
08:18 Labour vs. Family Migration Policy
23:28 The Situation of Immigrant Families
32:17 Social Benefits and Integration Efforts
36:42 Migrant Women and Irregular Domestic Work
43:12 Why Regularization Fails
52:35 Conclusion