Immigration Policy, Settlement Service, and Immigrant Mothers in Neoliberal Canada: A Feminist Analysis

Zhu, Yidan

doi:10.1353/ces.2016.0017

Cited by 19 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Family class immigrants are more likely to need language and job skill training, while economic immigrants arrive with higher human capital but need help accessing "professional networks" (Nakhaie 2018, 155). Literature also notes the distinct service needs among newcomer women (Zhu 2016), youth (Kilbride & Anisef 2001), Francophone newcomers (Bisson et al 2011), seniors and…”

Section: E the Third Sector In Canadamentioning

confidence: 99%

Thinking third sector in Canadian and German settlement and social inclusion

Bushell¹

2021

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Canada and Germany have become major immigrant-receiving countries of the Global North, sharing settlement structures shaped by federal, regional and municipal governments and operated by large and diverse third sectors. Through an integrative literature review, this study critically examines the Canadian and German third sectors involved in settlement and social inclusion initiatives, particularly in the context of neoliberal policymaking prevalent in both countries since the 1980s. First outlining the structure and landscape of settlement in each country, it identifies several shared challenges stemming from neoliberal federal policy and the retreat of the national welfare state. Filling literature gaps in this field is particularly important given recent increases in asylum-seeking in Germany, and the global emergence of right-wing, anti-immigration political movements. The purpose of this study is to serve as the basis for further cross-national consideration, discussion and mutual learning between Canada and Germany. Key words: Canada, Germany, third sector, settlement sector, social inclusion, asylum, immigration, neoliberal policy and restructuring

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Section: E the Third Sector In Canadamentioning

confidence: 99%

Thinking third sector in Canadian and German settlement and social inclusion

Bushell¹

2021

Preprint

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“…That, however, does not compensate for the lack of services for families who are undergoing these difficult and emotional transitions that threaten family cohesion (Social Planning Council of Ottawa, 2010). Upon taking a closer look at settlement services, it becomes apparent that there is little social support for care work, non-economic activities or emotional well-being (Zhu, 2016). This is symptomatic of a general trend in settlement programs where the provision of emotional or social support is not appreciated on equal footing with information, employment or language services.…”

Section: Observations From Practicementioning

confidence: 99%

Serving Immigrant Families: Using Knowledge Translation to Inform a Family Approach in the Settlement Sector

Dargy¹

2021

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Introduction: Immigrant families plan their immigration trajectories and destinations long before they set foot in Canada. Families change and become reconfigured through the immigration and settlement process. It is a life-changing event that results in important sacrifices, changes in gender and family dynamics, living arrangements, and expectations of support. Having the support of a family network is the most important predictor of settlement success (Creese et al., 2008; Lewis-Watts, 2006; Telegdi, 2006). Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC hereafter) plays a pivotal role in structuring the newcomer family through immigration policy, and shapes settlement through funding services and programs. IRCC holds the authority to enter into service agreements with organizations and represents the most important source of funding for newcomer settlement services across Canada (except Quebec). Settlement policies and program guidelines determine to whom and how services are delivered. Therefore, they have great influence on newcomer settlement outcomes. On its Settlement Priorities webpage, IRCC (2017a) identifies as a key priority “improving knowledge creation and management through policy-relevant research and knowledge mobilization that […] suggest concrete options for improved settlement service delivery”. Recent academic research as well as findings from the ITIF project demonstrate that immigration and settlement, in a fundamental way, are family experiences. It follows that if the settlement sector is mandated to serve immigrants' needs, they must use a service framework that situates immigrants within these social realities. This paper is designed to inform decision-makers about research findings on newcomer families that confirm the observations of settlement workers and can guide policy. Five key practical recommendations for implementing a Family Approach in the settlement service framework and policies are being presented to IRCC settlement policy-makers. This paper challenges the current individualistic structure of IRCC settlement program design and policy. Ultimately, we seek to improve settlement services for newcomers by influencing multiple levels of the settlement sector to reflect the interconnectedness of newcomer needs with a web of social relations.

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“…Settlement services in Canada are seen as part of the nation’s economic development project, helping newcomers acquire a second language, learn mothering and employment skills, and build certain networks in order to integrate into the local society and labor market. The Canadian government, existing at multilevels, combines with various agencies to provide a series of parenting programs for immigrant mothers, such as Toronto’s Parent Support Programme and Vancouver’s Newcomer’s Center for Child and Family (Zhu, 2016). In the process of inculcating immigrant mothers, local government-funded settlement agencies are not just integrating immigrants into a unified national identity, but rather using immigrant mothers to strengthen the nation’s population and economy.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Learning to Become Good Mothers: Immigrant Mothers as Adult Learners

Zhu

2020

Adult Education Quarterly

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Immigrant mothers, who are socially constructed as an isolated group of people, are often excluded from the studies of adult learners. In adult education, few studies focus on immigrant mothers’ ways of learning, mothering, and knowing. Based on a critical ethnographical study, this article sheds lights on immigrant mothers’ learning in a foreign land. It unveils how immigrant mothers learn mothering skills and how their lifelong learning practice interacts with the ideology of mothering in contemporary neoliberal contexts. The data come from a 2-year critical ethnographic study that included 30 in-depth interviews with Chinese immigrant mothers in a Vancouver-based immigration settlement organization in Canada. The following five types of immigrant mothers’ lifelong learning practices are examined and analyzed: (a) learning parenting skills, (b) learning to find a job, (c) learning language, (d) learning to drive, and (e) learning to live a healthy lifestyle. This article argues that immigrant mothers’ lifelong learning practice constitutes a mechanism, one in which the ideology of mothering and immigrant mothers’ everyday learning and mothering deeply interact to reproduce race, gender, and class relations. This article concludes that there is a need to study immigrant mothers, as adult learners, and to reexamine knowledge systems, ideologies, and people’s different ways of knowing and learning in adult education.

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Immigration Policy, Settlement Service, and Immigrant Mothers in Neoliberal Canada: A Feminist Analysis

Cited by 19 publications

References 12 publications

Thinking third sector in Canadian and German settlement and social inclusion

Thinking third sector in Canadian and German settlement and social inclusion

Serving Immigrant Families: Using Knowledge Translation to Inform a Family Approach in the Settlement Sector

Learning to Become Good Mothers: Immigrant Mothers as Adult Learners

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