Immigration, Work and Family Life: Exploring the Settlement Experiences of Skilled Immigrants and Their Families
Date
2014-09-30
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Abstract
International migration holds important consequences for the social organization of work and family life in the post-migration context. Yet, previous research suggests that more information is needed about the kinds of households that skilled immigrants form upon arriving in Canada and the ways in which pre-migration experiences affect the reconstitution of family life. This dissertation seeks to better understand the work and family circumstances of skilled immigrants and their families through open-ended qualitative interviews with 30 skilled immigrants residing in Calgary, Alberta. Specifically, it explores participants’ attempts to maintain a certain quality of family life in the face of various pressures and changes associated with settlement, and how the process of coming to Canada has affected preferred versions of parenting, family practices, and values.
Findings suggest that paid work and family relations are strongly interconnected in the post-migration experiences of participants, with strained economic and social resources often limiting available options around the implementation of preferred parenting practices and values. However, this dissertation also shows that socioeconomic decline is not the sole aspect affecting the organization of post-migration family relations. Rather, a constellation of factors contribute to the reconstitution of family life for skilled immigrants, including paid work but also additional aspects such as flexibility in gender ideologies, accessible frameworks, strategies and coping mechanisms, cultural values, and available support networks. This dissertation thus demonstrates the great versatility of immigrant families and offers suggestions on how skilled immigrants might be better supported in their efforts to integrate into social and economic life.
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Individual and Family Studies
Citation
Parsons Leigh, J. (2014). Immigration, Work and Family Life: Exploring the Settlement Experiences of Skilled Immigrants and Their Families (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/26452