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"

Next steps…

Account for sex, age, and occupationExamine the role of chain migrationLook at contributions to families Examine contributions to ethnic communities Analyze usage of social welfare and health

servicesDevelop family migration model