madine vanderplaat, phd saint mary’s university howard ramos, phd dalhousie university what do...
TRANSCRIPT
MADINE VANDERPLAAT, PHDSAINT MARY’S UNIVERSITY
HOWARD RAMOS, PHDDALHOUSIE UNIVERSITY
What do Sponsored Parents and Grandparents Contribute?
Why Focus on Parents and Grandparents?
Vulnerable population
Potential for development of alternative discourse of “integration”
Why Under Researched?
“Family” as gendered social space
Privileging of economic measurements of integration outcomes
Focus on the individual as unit of analysis rather than the family
Basis for Criticism
Increased pressure on health care systemWeak economic performance (low tax base)Over reliance on government pensionsEconomic pressure on sponsorsReduction in level of diversity
Assumed Benefits
Improved quality of psycho-social life for immigrant families
Increased access to financial resourcesIncreased childcare and household supportIncreased capacity for development of
social capital
What do We Know?
2002 2005 2008 2010
#Parents/Grandparents
22,243 12,475
16,597 15,322
% of Family Class 35.7 19.7 25.3 25.4
% of Total Immigrants
9.7 4.8 6.7 5.5
Methodology
Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada Wave 1 – 6 months Wave 2 - 2 years Wave 3 - 4 years
Sponsored Parents/Grandparents By Age
Age Category Per cent
44 years or younger 1.12
45-54 years 25.38
55-64 years 41.68
65 years and older 31.82
Parents/Grandparents by Main Activity
Sponsored Parents/Grandparents
Worked at a job or business 39.82%Homemaker 11.97%
Student 1.36%Retired 27.01%
Caring for family members 16.68%
Other** 3.16%Total 100.00%
*This table is based on data from Wave 2 of the LSIC and excludes cases with "Don't know", "Refused", or "Not Stated"
** "Other" includes: "Looking for work" "Starting a business", "Doing volunteer work", "No main activity", "Other"