Feminists have achieved a lot in terms of bringing attention to the perspective of women and allowing their voices and opinions to be heard. However, according to Mullaly, there is still plenty of evidence to suggest that the state still plays an important role in the subordination of women in Canada. Despite feminist attempts to resolve the issue of gender inequalities between the sexes, I feel that majority of people still presumed that a woman’s greatest responsibility is to her family. It is actually very common for Canadian women with careers to only turn down full-time job offers and only work part time in order to provide as much possible care for their children, and sometimes even their elders. Thus, women will ultimately have a much lower income than men, resulting in less benefits and low pensions. In fact “women are among the poorest groups in Canadian Society” (Mullaly, 2007). If Canadian women are this disadvantaged as citizens, imagine how much more difficult life for immigrant and refugee woman would be.
From my own experience, immigrating to Canada when I was about six years old, I know firsthand how my mom struggled as an immigrant woman. Our first couple years here were very difficult times. The fact that my mom was single meant that she was the sole provider for our family. My mom did have a job and we had a decent place to stay, but being a working mother to a six year old girl was difficult because we had absolutely no support system. There were barely any friends, and no family at all that my mom could rely on to help watch over me when my mom had to work. In fact, my mom had to work twice as hard as she had to just so she could afford to put me in a day care center. This caused her to always be emotionally and physically drained, making her more prone to things such as the flu, but she worked regardless of her health because she knew it was the only way she could properly provide for me.
Most immigrant and refugees come to Canada to escape traumatic “experiences in refugee camps or leaving war torn countries where family members had been hurt or killed”. Thus, it is no surprise that the experiences of immigrant and refugee women are very different from Canadian women. Immigrant and refugee women must go through the difficult process of immigration itself by learning a new language and culture, and adapting to changes in social status (Meadows et al., 2001). They are not only disadvantaged economically, but also because unlike Canadian-born women, immigrant and refugee women must face and overcome stressors such as finding work, establishing a new home, and feelings of loss and social isolation due to language barriers. Doing this is especially difficult for immigrants and refugees who are raising children because they must also act as the primary caregivers in their family while trying to incorporate their previous roles and behaviours into their new lives; they experience both cultural and gender conflicts. Leaving behind their friends, family, and any type of social support system they had in their country of origin means that they no longer have any of that once they come to Canada. They have to build a new means of social support in society and it “may be causing more stress than we thought” (Tobin, 2004). In fact, studies show that immigrant women describe themselves to be healthy when they first come to Canada, but over time their sense of being in good health diminishes over time due to the many stressors in their lives (Tobin, 2004).
Coming to Canada obviously results in many changes in women's lives, including their health. According to Meadows, Thurston & Melton (2001), the impacts of these changes are on immigrant and refugee women are determined by the social supports for rebuilding her identity. They state that the key to maintaining social, psychological, and spiritual health is by having “supportive husbands, children and extended families, access to services, friends, and places of worship". I agree with this completely, simply because not having anyone or anything to rely on, especially for new immigrant or refugees, can be very difficult if there is no one to help them. Fortunately, socialist feminists put a lot of effort into establishing women’s groups and organizations fighting for improved health, housing, income security, child and elder care, education, and employments (Mullaly, 2007). Things like this can help a lot of immigrant and refugee woman juggle the conflicts between work and their families because. Most importantly it can improve their health and well-being as they are able to create a new support system for themselves and rebuild and re-establish their everyday lives. Through new social support networks, immigrant and refugee woman are given the chance to accept what they've lost from their former lives and work towards gaining what they have lost through their new lives in Canada.
- Adrienne A.
Meadows, L., Thurston, E., Melton, C., (2001). “Immigrant women’s health”. Social Science & Medicine, 52(9), 1451-1458. DOI:10.1016/S0277-9536(00)00251-3
Mullaly, B. (2007). The New Structural Social Work. Canada: Oxford University Press Canada.
Tobin, A. (2004). “Immigrant women feel less healthy in Canada”. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved on November 11, 2011: http://proxycheck.lib.umanitoba.ca.proxy1.lib.umanitoba.ca/libraries/online/proxy.php?http://proquest.umi.com.proxy1.lib.umanitoba.ca/pqdweb?did=1056323811&Fmt=3&clientId=12305&RQT=309&VName=PQD
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