Russian and Ukrainian Female Au pairs in Norway: Public Arrangements and Private Commitments

The project's research question is how publicly arranged au pair placement as a program of cultural exchange coexists with its daily practices and private commitments undertaken by Russian and Ukrainian female au pairs and their host families living in No rway. The intersection of migration strategies and citizenship will be explored by comparing Russian and Ukrainian institutional and personal opportunities, their (trans)local (ethnic) networks, and their expectations from the program and its different pa rticipants. The research is designed as qualitative. I will explore documents and secondary sources on legal arrangement of au pair placement in Norway; interview au pair agencies' staff working with Russians and Ukrainians, interview au pairs and their h osts. The project will be implemented in Oslo in intensive collaboration with the research groups on international migration of Fafo and other institutions.