User:Ballard8/Södertälje

Introduction
Updated population.

As of 2017, it has a population of 96,032 inhabitants.

History
Found a source.

In the 18th century Södertälje had a charter. Due to the Great Northern War and a series of plague epidemics, the population of the city dipped to barely above 200.

Economy
Included additional information.

Truck manufacturer Scania AB was founded in Södertälje and still has its main location there. It is also one of the main sites for pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca,[13] which retains 35% of its production in the city.

Immigration
Added section.

Middle Eastern migration to Södertälje started in the 1960's. Early migrants came mostly from Syria with smaller numbers immigrating from Iraq and Iran. Most of these original diasporas were in response to war and the associated violence of these countries. In more recent years, the populations displaced by the Syrian War have favored Södertälje as their new home due to the already embedded Syrian community. This new wave of Syrian immigrants has been seen to be somewhat more disadvantaged than their earlier counterparts. This disadvantage is due to their tendency to integrate less quickly and efficiently into Swedish society as they have a cultural buffer to ease into their new country or often not learn the new language or customs at all. A similar trend is seen in local Iraqi populations. Since the U.S. invasion of Iraq, many Iraqi refugees have fled to Sweden and specifically, Södertälje taking advantage of the ‘open-door’ policy for asylum seekers.

In addition to cultural familiarity afforded by older immigrant communities, Södertälje provides many manufacturing job opportunities for immigrants. The concentration of multinational company’s manufacturing centers in the city make it an attractive option for migrants. Even with these advantages, Södertälje still has issues with immigrant unemployment and dependence on the welfare system. Despite political and social efforts to prevent segregation of immigrant groups within Swedish society, Södertälje has seen increased cultural segregation. It has been suggested that the Swedish social welfare system itself may be contributing to this trend. Södertälje city officials have sought to alleviate stresses on resources as well as educate incoming immigrant groups on efforts to increase local production of sustainable foods.

The economic and social standing and opportunity for immigrants in Södertälje is worse now than it was in the mid to late 19th century. Recent decades have seen a downturn in the access for Södertälje immigrant populations to the local labor markets. This continues despite the Swedish government policy of integrating immigrants into the economy and culture at the same rate as native born Swedes. Immigrants in Sweden have the same rights to health care, as do native born citizens. Regardless of access, immigrants are more likely to use emergency facility care rather than preventative visits. Language and system education barriers may be to blame for this difference in health care approach. Studies have also found differences in how immigrants and native born citizens of Södertälje rate their health. On average, Syrian and Iraqi citizens rate their health lower than do native citizens. This has been attributed to the number of immigrants fleeing war in their home regions.

The boom in immigration has also had social ramifications for the city of Södertälje. The recent influx of immigrants has been met with tensions in adolescent groups. Adolescents of native decent have developed negative views of similar aged teens of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern immigrant decent. Immigrants are seen to have neutral to positive views of their native Södertälje peers. This trend is mirrored to a lesser degree in adult populations.

Though most social judgments of Syrian and Iraqi immigrants are largely unfounded, the immigrant communities are not without their own criminal issues. Immigrant communities have also experienced the formation of organized crime in the city of Södertälje. Starting in the 1980’s, city officials acknowledged the existence of a wide spread organized crime network known as the Syriac mafia.

Södertälje’s immigrant populations have had some marked successes. Immigrant entrepreneurs have integrated their daily practices of language and dress to streamline their potential for success in their new city. Though immigrant business people do rely on like cultured clientele to a degree, most (especially young and second generation) valued a high level of integration in their dress and communication in order to broaden the scope of their potential success. These entrepreneurs are often the measure for how well integrated an immigrant group or neighborhood has become. Postwar Swedish designers made an effort to combat class differences by standardizing home design and urban planning; this coincided with the arrival of numerous refugees, from various Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries that concentrated in Södertälje. The generic base of Swedish urban planners has worked well to accommodate immigrant designers customizing spaces to fit their needs and tastes. In this way, uniform urban planning has helped immigrant communities integrate more smoothly. Immigrant communities have adapted to the city’s urban growth. However, Syrian contractors and designers have broken from traditional Swedish uniformity of design and added their own cultural identities and design to structures and neighborhoods.

Immigrant communities have developed their own identity through sport in Södertälje. With the formation and success of Assyriska FF, the Södertälje Syrian population has helped that community become one of the most integrated immigrant groups in the city. Södertälje immigrant soccer teams represent an advancement in both immigrant integration into Swedish society as well as an architectural contribution through the construction of the state of the art soccer stadium designed by immigrants from the Södertälje Syrian community. Syrian soccer teams are currently in the top tiers of the Swedish premier league.