Statistics Canada
www.statcan.gc.ca
Common menu bar links
Chapter 9: Immigrant women
Archived Content
Information identified as archived is provided for reference, research or recordkeeping purposes. It is not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards and has not been altered or updated since it was archived. Please "contact us" to request a format other than those available.
An increasingly diverse population
Diversity is one of the defining characteristics of Canadian society. Over the last two centuries, the linguistic, cultural and religious make-up of the country has significantly changed in the wake of various waves of immigrants, first, mostly from Europe; and more recently from a wider range of societies including many non-European countries.
The diversity that marks Canadian society has had a positive effect on the country as new skills and ways of looking at the world have been adapted from succeeding waves of newcomers. The diverse nature of the country, however, can also introduce tensions into the social fabric as different groups struggle to adjust to their new social milieu while at the same time trying to maintain their cultural identity in a rapidly changing environment.
In this scenario, it is very likely that foreign-born women face a particularly complex set of hurdles in their attempt to adapt to Canadian society. On the one hand, they have to cope with all the problems associated with adjusting to, what for many, may be a completely new lifestyle. At the same time, these women may also have to overcome many of the gender-related inequalities which women in Canada have traditionally experienced.
Foreign-born female population growing rapidly
Perhaps the most significant aspect of the growing diversity of Canadian society has been the large flow of new immigrants into the country in recent decades. Indeed, almost one in five females currently living in Canada was born outside the country. Overall, there were a total of 2.8 million foreign-born females living in Canada in 2001. Together, they made up 19% of the country’s total female population that year.
In fact, the number of foreign-born females living in Canada has grown considerably more rapidly than the native-born female population in recent years. Between 1996 and 2001, for example, the foreign-born female population in Canada increased by 10%, almost four times faster than did the Canadian-born female population which grew by less than 3% per year in the same period. (Chart 9.1)
Chart 9.1 Growth rates of the foreign-born and native-born female populations, 1996 to 2001
As a result of this trend, the share of the female population accounted for by foreignborn women is currently the largest it has been in more than half a century. In 2001, females born outside the country represented 19% of all women living in Canada, up from 16% in 1991, and 14% in 1951. The share of the female population accounted for by those born outside the country, though, is still lower than in the 1920s and 1930s when over 20% of the female population in Canada was born outside the country. (Chart 9.2)
Chart 9.2 Foreign-born females as a percentage of the total female population, 1921 to 2001
Higher immigrant flows in the 1990s
The recent increase in the size of the foreign-born female population reflects, in part, the fact that immigration levels have been relatively high over the past decade. Since the early 1990s, for example, an average of almost 225,000 immigrants has been admitted to the country each year, compared with only about 126,000 per year during the previous decade. (Chart 9.3)
Chart 9.3 Total number of immigrants arriving in Canada between 1980 and 2003
It should be noted, though, that increases in the relative size of the foreign-born population also reflect a decline in the birth rate among those born in Canada in recent decades. In fact, immigration currently accounts for about half of all population growth in Canada. It is also projected that by the second decade of the new century all population growth will be the result of immigration.
Women comprise just over half of all people who immigrate to Canada. In the period 1994 to 2003, for example, a total of just over 1.1 million females were admitted to Canada as immigrants. These women made up 51% of all immigrants admitted to Canada in this period. (Table 9.1)
Table 9.1 Immigrants arriving in Canada, by immigrant class, 1994 to 2003
Immigration to Canada
The foreign-born population in Canada includes those who have landedimmigrant status, whether or not they have acquired Canadian citizenship. Note, though, that children born in Canada to immigrant parents are not included in the immigrant population. The number of immigrants entering Canada each year is largely determined by government policies controlling admissions. Since the late 1970s, Canada’s immigration policy has been guided by three broad objectives: (1) to reunite families, (2) to foster a strong and viable economy in all regions of Canada, and (3) to fulfil Canada’s international legal obligations and to maintain compassionate and humanitarian traditions with respect to refugees. These objectives are reflected in the primary categories under which people are admitted to Canada each year as permanent residents: family, economic, and refugee.
The family class of immigrants includes people sponsored to come to Canada by close relatives who are already living here. Economic immigrants include skilled workers and business immigrants, such as investors, entrepreneurs, and the self-employed, as well as spouses and dependants of these persons. Economic immigrants are selected for immigration on the basis of their labour market skills. Since 1967, skilled workers have been rated on a “point” system based on their age, education, training, occupational skills, demand for their occupation in Canada, existence of prearranged employment, and knowledge of English or French.
The refugee class includes people who are unable or unwilling to return to their home country because of fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group. As well, the refugee category includes people displaced by emergency situations and people whom Canada has recognized as being in a special class for humanitarian reasons.
It should also be noted that considerable caution should be exercised in comparing overall trends for the foreign-born population with those of the rest of the population. In particular, the assessment of causal factors will be difficult to impute because the data presented in this chapter have not been weighted to account for differences in key variables such age and education.
Most women come to Canada with their spouse or family
The majority of females immigrating to Canada come with their family. Of all foreignborn females admitted to Canada in the decade between 1994 and 2003, 36% were considered family class immigrants, while another 37% came as the spouse or dependant of an economic immigrant. At the same time, just over one in 10 female immigrants arrived as an economic immigrant themselves, while another 10% were admitted as refugees.
The number of women admitted to Canada as refugees, though, has declined slightly in recent years. In 2003, close to 11,600 female refugees were admitted to Canada, down from 13,000 in 2001 and 14,000 in 2000. The current number of female refugees admitted to the country, though, is higher than in the late 1990s when an average of fewer than 11,000 females were admitted to Canada as refugees each year. (Chart 9.4)
Chart 9.4 Females admitted to Canada as refugees, 1994 to 2003
Female immigrants are also somewhat less likely than male immigrants to be admitted to Canada as refugees. In the decade between 1994 and 2003, 10% of female immigrants, versus 13% of male immigrants, were admitted to Canada for humanitarian reasons. (Table 9.1)
Female immigrants are also only about a third as likely to be admitted to Canada as the principal applicant in the economic class. In the period 1994 to 2003, for example, only 11% of female immigrants were so classified, compared with 33% of male entrants. In contrast, female immigrants are considerably more likely than males to be admitted to Canada as family members. Between 1994 and 2003, 72% of female immigrants came to Canada as either family class immigrants or spouses or dependents of economic class applicants, whereas this was the case for just over 50% of their male counterparts.
Many are recent arrivals
The largest share of the foreign-born female population arrived here in the past decade. In 2001, there were almost 1 million foreign-born females living in Canada who had arrived in the country between 1991 and 2001. These recent arrivals made up 34% of all foreign-born females living in Canada that year. Indeed, foreign-born women who arrived here in the past decade made up 6% of the total female Canadian population. Of the remaining foreign-born female population, 19% had arrived here between 1981 and 1990, while 17% came in the 1970s, 14% came between 1961 and 1970, and 16% arrived before 1961. (Table 9.2)
Table 9.2 The foreign-born female population, by period of immigration, 2001
Primary region of origin for immigrant females is changing
There has been an even more dramatic shift in the number of foreign-born females coming from different regions of the world in recent years. In fact, well over half (58%) of all female immigrants living in Canada in 2001 who arrived here in the 1990s came from Asia, including the Middle East, whereas this was the case for just 3% of those who arrived prior to 1961. There was a similar trend for female immigrants coming from Africa. Of all foreign-born female residents who arrived here in the past decade, 7% were from Africa, whereas this region accounted for less than 1% of those who arrived prior to 1961. (Table 9.3)
Table 9.3 Region of birth of female immigrants, by period of immigration, 2001
The share of female immigrants currently coming to Canada from both the Caribbean and Central and South America is also much higher than it was before 1961 when these areas accounted for less than 1% of female immigration. In contrast, women from the Caribbean made up 5% of all female immigrants to Canada who arrived between 1991 and 2001, while the figure was 6% for those from Central and South America. Neither of these latter figures, though, are highs for that particular region. Indeed, female immigrants from the Caribbean made up 11% of all female immigrants in the 1970s, while the current figure for those from Central and South America is down somewhat from a high of 10% in the 1980s.
At the same time, there have been sharp declines in the shares of foreign-born females coming from traditional source regions such as the United Kingdom or other European countries. Indeed, just 19% of all immigrant females living in Canada in 2001 who arrived the previous decade were from either the United Kingdom or other European nation, whereas this was the case for 90% of immigrant women who had arrived before 1961.
Despite these changes, the largest share of foreign-born females currently living in Canada is still European. Of all immigrant females living in Canada in 2001, 41% were from either the United Kingdom or other European country, while 36% were from Asia or the Middle East. At the same time, smaller shares originated in the Caribbean or Bermuda (6%), Central or South America (6%), Africa (5%) or the United States (5%).
Most become Canadian citizens
The vast majority of female immigrants to Canada have become citizens.1 Indeed, by 2001, 83% of female immigrants eligible to have applied for citizenship had become naturalized Canadian citizens. (Chart 9.5)
Not surprisingly, immigrants who have resided in Canada for many years are more likely to have obtained Canadian citizenship than newer residents. More than nine out of 10 women who immigrated to this country before 1961 were Canadian citizens by 2001, along with 86% of those who arrived here between 1961 and 1980, and 85% of those who immigrated between 1981 and 1991. Still, well over half (58%) of women who had arrived in Canada as recently as 1996 and 1997 had become citizens by 2001.
Female immigrants, however, are slightly less likely to have obtained Canadian citizenship than male immigrants. By 2001, 83% of all foreign-born women living in Canada who were eligible to apply for citizenship had done so, compared with 85% of all eligible immigrant men. Among recent immigrants, though, eligible women (58%) were about as likely as men (57%) to have obtained Canadian citizenship by 2001.
Many in a visible minority
Almost half the foreign-born female population in Canada is a part of a visible minority. Of immigrant women living in Canada in 2001, 49% were considered to be a visible minority.2 That year, there were almost 1.5 million foreign-born women in a visible minority living in Canada. Together, they made up 9% of the total female population in Canada. (Chart 9.6)
Not surprisingly, given recent trends in the primary source countries of immigration to Canada, recent arrivals in Canada are far more likely to be part of a visible minority than those who have been in the country for longer periods. Indeed, almost three-quarters (74%) of foreign-born females who arrived in Canada between 1991 and 2001 are visible minorities, whereas this is the case for only 19% of those who arrived here in the 1960s and just 3% of those who arrived in Canada before 1961.
A largely urban population
Immigrants to Canada tend to settle in the country’s largest metropolitan areas. In 2001, for example, 62% of the foreign-born female population in Canada lived in Toronto, Vancouver, or Montreal. In contrast, these three urban areas were home to only 27% of their Canadian-born counterparts. That year, 38% of all immigrant women lived in Toronto, while 14% resided in Vancouver and 11% made Montreal their home. (Table 9.4)
Table 9.4 The foreign-born female population in selected Census Metropolitan Areas, 2001
Recent arrivals are even more likely to be centred in one of these three urban areas. Indeed, 73% of foreign-born females who arrived in Canada in the last decade resided in the Toronto, Vancouver or Montreal metropolitan areas in 2001. That year, 43% of all foreign-born women living in Canada who arrived in the last decade made Toronto their home, while 18% resided in Vancouver and 11% lived in Montreal.
Foreign-born women make up particularly large shares of the overall female populations of both Toronto and Vancouver. In 2001, 45% of all female residents of Toronto, and 39% of those in Vancouver, were born outside the country. In fact, that year, 17% of all female residents of both Toronto and Vancouver were immigrants who had arrived in the country within the past decade. (Chart 9.7)
Foreign-born females, though, also make up relatively large shares of the overall female population in several other major urban areas. In 2001, for example, 24% of female residents of Hamilton were born outside the country, while the figure was 21% in Calgary, 18% in each of Edmonton, Montreal and Ottawa-Gatineau, and 17% in Winnipeg.
The tendency for immigrants to settle in either Toronto or Vancouver is further reflected in the fact that foreign-born women also account for relatively large shares of the overall female populations of Ontario and British Columbia. Indeed, immigrants made up 27% of all female residents in both provinces in 2001. Immigrants also made up 15% of the female population of Alberta that year, while the figure was 12% in Manitoba and 10% in each of Quebec and the Yukon. In contrast, the figure was well under 10% in the remaining provinces and territories. (Chart 9.8)
An older population
The foreign-born female population tends to be older, on average, than the overall female population in Canada. In particular, immigrant women are considerably more likely than their non-immigrant counterparts to be in their prime working years. In 2001, 67% of all foreign-born women were between the ages of 25 and 64, compared with 52% of native-born women. That year, roughly one in three (34%) immigrant women was aged 25 to 44, while another third (33%) was between the ages of 45 and 64. (Table 9.5)
Table 9.5 Age distribution of the foreign-born female population, by period of immigration, 2001
Women born outside the country are also more likely than other women to be seniors. In 2001, 20% of all immigrant women in Canada were aged 65 and over, compared with 12% of their native-born counterparts. As with the overall population, women represent a disproportionate share of the foreign-born senior population. That year, women made up 54% of the immigrant population aged 65 and over living in Canada, although this was somewhat lower than the figure in the non-immigrant population in which 57% of seniors were women.3
In contrast, young people make up relatively small shares of the foreign-born female population. In 2001, just 14% of all immigrant females were under the age of 25, compared with 36% of their non-immigrant counterparts. That year, 6% of female immigrants, versus 22% of the non-immigrant female population, were under the age of 15, while 8% of female immigrants, compared with 14% of non-immigrants, were aged 15 to 24.
Most living with family members
The large majority of foreign-born women live with their families. Indeed, in 2001, 86% of immigrant women aged 15 and over were living in some form of family setting. That year, 59% were living with their husband, 3% were in a common-law relationship, 9% were lone parents, 10% were daughters living with their parents, and 5% were living with other relatives. (Table 9.6)
Table 9.6 Family status of foreign-born women aged 15 and over, 2001
Foreign-born women, in fact, are somewhat more likely than those born in Canada to live with family members. In 2001, 86% of immigrant women aged 15 and over lived in some form of family setting, compared with 82% of other women in this age range. Foreign-born women were particularly more likely than their native-born counterparts, 59% versus 45%, to be living with their spouse. On the other hand, foreign-born women are much less likely than other women to be living in a common-law relationship. That year, 3% of women aged 15 and over born outside the country were partners in a commonlaw relationship, compared with 11% of other women.
Foreign-born women are slightly more likely than those born in Canada to be lone parents. In 2001, 9% of foreign-born women aged 15 and were lone parents, about one percentage point higher than the figure for their Canadian-born counterparts. Among foreign-born women, though, recent arrivals to Canada are somewhat less likely to be lone parents than immigrant women who have been in the country for longer periods. That year, for example, 8% of immigrant women aged 15 and over who arrived in Canada between 1991 and 2001 were lone parents.
As with their native-born counterparts, foreign-born women are much more likely than their male counterparts to be a lone parent. In 2001, women made up 83% of all lone parents born outside the country, a figure slightly higher than that in the nonimmigrant population in which women made up 81% of all lone parents. Women make up an even greater share of lone parents among recent arrivals to Canada; that year, 86% of lone parents who had immigrated to Canada between 1991 and 2001 were female. (Chart 9.9)
Chart 9.9 Women as a percentage of lone parents, by immigrant status, 2001
Language profile changing
A substantial majority of the foreign-born female population in Canada has a mother tongue other than one of the two official languages. In 2001, 69% of all immigrant women aged 15 and over had a mother tongue, that is, the first language spoken and still understood, other than English or French. In contrast, English was the mother tongue of 28% of these women, while only 3% reported French was their mother tongue. (Table 9.7)
Table 9.7 Mother tongue of foreign-born women aged 15 and over, by period of immigration, 2001
Again, in large part because of changes in the primary countries of origin of recent immigrants to Canada, new arrivals are somewhat more likely than those who have been in the country for longer periods to have a mother tongue other than English or French. In 2001, 83% of foreign-born women aged 15 and over who arrived in Canada in the previous decade had a mother tongue other than one of the two official languages, while the figure was 73% for those who arrived in the 1980s, and around 60% for those who arrived here before 1981.
While the majority of foreign-born women have a mother tongue other than English or French, almost all of these women can speak at least one of Canada’s official languages. In 2001, 92% of foreign-born women aged 15 and over reported they could carry on a conversation in either English or French, or both. That year, 77% could conduct a conversation in English only, while 3% spoke French only and 11% were bilingual. At the same time, though, 8% of immigrant women could not conduct a conversation in either official language. (Table 9.8)
Not surprisingly, among foreign-born women, recent arrivals are somewhat more likely than those who have been in the country for longer periods to be unable to speak either English or French. In 2001, 12% of foreign-born women who arrived here between 1991 and 2001 were unable to conduct a conversation in either English or French, compared with 9% of those who arrived in the 1980s, 7% of those who arrived between 1971 and 1980, and less than 5% of those who arrived before 1971. Still, the large majority of even the most recent arrivals are able to speak English or French. That year, 88% of immigrant females who arrived in the past decade said they were able to carry on a conversation in at least one official language.
Foreign-born women are also somewhat more likely than their male counterparts to be unable to speak an official language. In 2001, 8% of all foreign-born women aged 15 and older could not conduct a conversation in either French or English, compared with 5% of immigrant men. Similarly, among those who arrived in Canada between 1991 and 2001, 12% of women, versus 8% of men, were unable to speak either official language.
Senior immigrant women are particularly likely to be unable to speak either English or French. In fact, in 2001, 18% of foreign-born women aged 65 and over could not carry on a conversation in one of Canada’s two official languages, whereas this was the case for only 8% of those aged 45 to 64 and 5% or less of those in younger age ranges. As well, senior immigrant women were also considerably more likely than their male counterparts, 18% versus 11%, to be unable to carry on a conversation in English or French that year. (Chart 9.10)
Chart 9.10 Percentage of the foreign-born population not able to speak English or French, 2001
While the large majority of foreign-born women are able to speak at least one of Canada’s official languages, a substantial proportion still speak a non-official language in their home. Indeed, in 2001, 47% of all foreign-born women aged 15 and over spoke a language other than English or French most often in their home. Again, recent arrivals were the most likely to speak a non-official language in their home. That year, 68% of immigrant women who arrived in Canada between 1991 and 2001 spoke a language other than English or French most often in their home, whereas the figure among earlier arrivals ranged from just over half (52%) of those who arrived in the 1980s to less than a quarter (23%) of those who had arrived before 1961. (Chart 9.11)
A substantial minority of foreign-born women also speak a language other than English or French at work. In 2001, 6% of all employed immigrant women spoke a language other than one of the two official languages most often at work, while another 2% spoke another language in combination with English or French or both.
Foreign-born women highly educated
Women born outside Canada are more likely than their native-born counterparts to have completed university. In 2001, 18% of all foreign-born women had a university degree, compared with 14% of Canadian-born women. Immigrant women, though, have lower levels of formal education than immigrant men, 24% of whom had a degree that year. This contrasts with the Canadian-born population among which women are currently about as likely as men to have earned a university degree. (Table 9.9)
Foreign-born women are also more likely than other Canadian women to have an advanced university degree. In 2001, 6% of immigrant women had a Master’s degree or an earned doctorate, compared with 4% of women born in Canada. Again, though, foreign-born women were considerably less likely than male immigrants to have an advanced degree. Indeed, that year, almost 10% of foreign-born men had post-graduate qualifications.
Among the foreign-born female population, recent arrivals are particularly likely to have university qualifications. In 2001, 26% of female immigrants who arrived in Canada in the previous decade had a university degree. Indeed, close to one in 10 of these women had graduated with a degree higher than the bachelor’s level.
It should be noted, though, that data on the educational status of the foreign-born population do not take into account whether the highest level of formal training was completed before they came to Canada or once they arrived here. As well, those who had completed their educations prior to coming to Canada often experience some difficulties getting their credentials recognized upon arrival in Canada.
While a relatively large number of foreign-born women have postsecondary qualifications, almost one in three of these women never attended high school. In 2001, 33% of immigrant women aged 15 and over had not completed high school, a slightly higher figure than among non-immigrant women (31%). Immigrant women, though, were more likely not to have attended high school than their male counterparts, among whom the figure was 28%.
On the other hand, relatively few recent female immigrants have not attended high school. That year, 27% of foreign-born women aged 15 and over who arrived between 1991 and 2001 had not attended high school, compared with 33% of all immigrant women.
Young female immigrants likely to be attending school
A relatively large proportion of young female immigrants are attending school. In 2001, 83% of foreign-born females aged 15 to 19 were attending school on either a full or parttime basis, compared with 78% of their non-immigrant counterparts. Similarly, among 20 to 24-year-old females, 58% of those born outside Canada were in some form of educational program that year, versus 50% of those born in Canada. (Table 9.10)
Table 9.10 School attendance of foreign-born women aged 15 and over, by period of immigration, 2001
Overall, young foreign-born women are about as likely as their male counterparts to be going to school. This contrasts with trends among the rest of the population where rates of school attendance are substantially higher among young women than they are for young men.
Less likely to be employed
While foreign-born women are generally better educated than their Canadian-born counterparts, those born elsewhere are less likely to be employed. Among women between the ages of 25 and 64, for example, only 64% of those born outside the country were part of the paid workforce in 2001, compared with 70% of non-immigrant women. As with other women, foreign-born women are also considerably less likely to be employed than their male counterparts, 80% of whom were part of the paid workforce that year. (Chart 9.12)
Chart 9.12 Percentage of foreign-born women aged 25 to 64 employed, by period of immigration, 2001
Among the foreign-born female population, recent arrivals in Canada are the least likely to be employed. Indeed, in 2001, just 58% of women between the ages of 25 and 64 who arrived in Canada between 1991 and 2001 were part of the paid workforce, compared with around 70% or more of those who arrived here in the 1970s and 1980s and 63% of those who arrived in the country between 1961 and 1970.
As well, as with other women in Canada, a relatively large proportion of foreignborn women work on a part-time or part-year basis. In 2001, 47% of all employed immigrant women between the ages of 25 and 64 worked primarily on a non-standard schedule. This was slightly higher than the figure among their non-immigrant counterparts, 45% of whom worked on a largely part-time, part-year basis that year. Foreign-born women were also much more likely to have a non-standard work arrangement than immigrant men, just 34% of whom were employed on a primarily part-time, part-year basis that year. (Table 9.11)
Among immigrant women, the most recent arrivals are the most likely to work part-time. Indeed, in 2001, well over half (56%) of all employed foreign-born women who arrived in the preceding decade worked on a primarily part-time basis, whereas this was the case for less than 45% of immigrant women who arrived here prior to 1991.
Concentrated in traditional female jobs
As with the overall female workforce in Canada, the majority of foreign-born female workers are concentrated in occupations traditionally held by women. In 2001, for example, 46% of all foreign-born women who participated in the paid workforce worked in either administrative or clerical jobs or in sales or service positions, although this was somewhat below the figure for Canadian-born women, 49% of whom were employed in these areas. In contrast, the share of immigrant women working in these types of jobs was almost double that for their male counterparts; that year, just 22% of employed foreign-born men had jobs in these areas. (Table 9.12)
Table 9.12 Occupational distribution of employed1 foreign-born women aged 25 to 64, 2001
Foreign-born women are over-represented among women employed in the manufacturing sector. In 2001, 11% of all employed women born outside Canada worked in manufacturing jobs, compared with just 4% of women born in Canada. In contrast, immigrant women tend to be underrepresented in the ranks of females employed in professional occupations in education, government, social services, religion, recreation, and culture, while they are about as likely as other women to be employed as professionals in the health sector or in management jobs. Foreign-born women, though, were less likely to be employed as managers than immigrant men. That year, 9% of employed immigrant women worked in management positions, versus 15% of foreign-born men.
Foreign-born women also make up a somewhat disproportionate share of women employed in occupations in the natural and applied sciences. In 2001, 4% of employed foreign-born women worked in these types of jobs, versus 3% of their counterparts born in Canada. Immigrant women, though, were still considerably less likely to work in these high-end jobs than their male counterparts, 14% of whom were employed in sciencerelated jobs.
High unemployment rates
Foreign-born women have relatively high unemployment rates. In 2001, 8.1% of all female labour force participants born outside the country were classified as unemployed, compared with 7.0% of those born in Canada. Immigrant women are also somewhat more likely to be unemployed than male immigrants, among whom the figure was 6.8% that year. (Chart 9.13)
Chart 9.13 Unemployment rates of foreign-born women, by period of immigration, 2001
Among foreign-born women, recent arrivals are the most likely to be unemployed. Indeed, 12.1% of female labour force participants who immigrated to Canada in the past decade were unemployed in 2001, compared with 7.8% of those who arrived in 1981- 1990 and 5% or less of those who came to Canada before 1981. The most recent female immigrant labour force participants are also considerably more likely to be unemployed than their male counterparts, 9.7% of whom were unemployed in 2001.
As with the overall female population, young immigrant females are much more likely to be unemployed than their older counterparts. In 2001, 14.9% of foreign-born female labour force participants aged 15 to 24 were unemployed, compared with 8.9% of those between the ages of 25 and 44 and 5.7% of those aged 45 to 64. Young female immigrants also have a substantially higher unemployment rate than their counterparts born in Canada, 12.7% of whom were unemployed that year. On the other hand, there was almost no difference in the unemployment rates of young female and male immigrants. This contrasts with the situation among the non-immigrant population in which young women aged 15 to 24 are less likely than men in this age range to be unemployed. (Table 9.13)
Table 9.13 Unemployment rates, by age and immigrant status, 2001
Little difference in earnings
Immigrant women with jobs generally earn about the same as other women in Canada. Foreign-born women employed on a full-time, full-year basis in 2000, for example, earned an average of $34,500, only about $500 less per person than the figure for their Canadianborn counterparts. Like Canadian-born women, though, immigrant women earn considerably less than their male counterparts. That year, the earnings of foreign-born women employed on a full-time, full-year basis were just 70% those of their male counterparts, while the figure was 71% among the non-immigrant population. (Chart 9.14)
The average earnings of recently arrived immigrant women, however, are relatively low. Foreign-born women who arrived in Canada between 1991 and 2000 averaged a little over $28,000 for full-year, full-time employment in 2000, roughly 20% below the figures for both all immigrant and non-immigrant women. As with other women, however, the earnings of recently arrived foreign-born women were about 70% those of their male counterparts.
Total incomes slightly less
Similar to trends in earnings, the average total income from all sources of foreign-born women is slightly lower than that of their Canadian-born counterparts. Among women aged 15 and over, those born outside Canada had an average income from all sources, including employment earnings, investment income and transfer payments, of $22,400 in 2000. This compared with $23,100 for those born in Canada. As with Canadianborn women, however, foreign-born women have considerably lower total incomes than immigrant men. In fact, the average income of female immigrants aged 15 and older was just 61% that of their male counterparts that year, about the same as the figure (62%) among the Canadian-born population. (Table 9.14)
Table 9.14 Average total income of foreign-born women aged 15 and over, by age, 2000
As well, foreign-born women who arrived in Canada in the past decade have particularly low incomes. Indeed, women aged 15 and older who immigrated to Canada in the last decade had an average income of only $16,700 in 2000, around $6,000 less than the figure for both the overall female immigrant population, as well as Canadianborn women.
More dependent on transfer payments
Foreign-born women generally receive a slightly larger proportion of their total income from government transfer payments, including family allowances, employment insurance, and other types of social assistance, than their Canadian-born counterparts. In 2000, transfer payments accounted for 19% of the total income of female immigrants aged 15 and older, compared with 16% of that of females born in Canada. Foreign-born women also receive a larger share of their income from transfer payments than male immigrants, just 10% of whose income that year came from government sources. (Table 9.15)
Senior immigrant women receive a particularly large share of their income from government transfer payments. In 2001, 59% of the income of immigrant women aged 65 and over came from these sources, while the figure was 57% among Canadian-born senior women. Foreign-born women aged 25 to 44 also receive a somewhat higher share of their incomes from government assistance programs than their non-immigrant counterparts, whereas the opposite is the case among both those aged 15 to 24 and 45 to 64. As well, immigrant women under the age of 65 who arrived in Canada in the past decade also receive a particularly large share of their income in the form of government assistance, whereas this was not the case among recently-arrived senior women.3
Many live in low-income situations
A relatively large proportion of the foreign-born female population in Canada have incomes which fall below Statistics Canada’s Low Income Cut-offs. In 2000, 23% of all foreign-born females lived in a low-income situation, compared with just 16% of their Canadian-born counterparts. Immigrant females were also more likely to be classified as living in a low-income situation than were male immigrants, 20% of whom were part of a low-income household that year. (Chart 9.15)
Females who immigrated to Canada most recently are particularly likely to be living in a low-income situation. In 2000, 35% of females who immigrated here between 1991 and 2000 were living in a low-income household, compared with 21% of women who immigrated between 1981 and 1990, and fewer than two in 10 of women who arrived in Canada before 1981.
As well, among the female immigrant population, children are the most likely to live in a low-income situation. Indeed, in 2000, 42% of female immigrants under the age of 15 were living in a low-income household. This was well over twice the figure for their non-immigrant counterparts, 17% of whom were classified as living in a low-income situation that year. Young immigrant women aged 15 to 24, as well as those between the ages of 25 and 44, were also much more likely to be living in low income situations than were their non-immigrant counterparts that year, whereas there were much smaller gaps among those over the age of 45. (Chart 9.16)
Chart 9.16 Proportion of the population living in a low-income situation, by age, 2000
Notes
- Immigrants who wish to become a Canadian citizen must apply for it. This process of obtaining citizenship is called naturalization. In order to apply for Canadian citizenship, immigrants must: be 18 years of age; be a legal permanent resident in Canada; have lived in Canada for three years out of the four years right before the day of application; be able to communicate in English or French; and, have knowledge of Canada, including the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.
- The female visible minority population is profiled in more detail in Chapter 10. The Employment Equity Act defines visible minorities as “persons, other than Aboriginal peoples, who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour”. The visible minority population includes the following groups: Chinese, South Asian, Black, Arab/West Asian, Filipino, Southeast Asian, Latin American, Japanese, Korean and Pacific Islander.
- More details on the foreign-born female senior population are provided in Chapter 12.
