Gender and Trajectories of Marital Breakdown: Accounts of Chinese Immigrant Women in Canada

The relatively sparse literature has documented various challenges international migration poses to martial stability, yet we know little about immigrant women's experiences with marital breakdown. Drawing data from a qualitative study of Chinese economic immigrants to Canada, this article explores women's experiences of navigating the processes of this life circumstance, and of how gender—including their senses of changing gender roles in post-immigration and postmarital contexts—plays out in these trajectories. The results of this exploratory study illustrate the value of transcending dichotomous conceptions of the relationship between gender and migration, and of opening spaces in which to better understand immigrant women's increasingly diversified life trajectories and the range of barriers they encounter along the way. The study also reveals multiple opportunities for social work contributions: tackling systematic barriers to settlement, facilitating social support in the community, and recognizing individuals’ diverse trajectory potentials (including the potential for this typically unwelcome event to be integrated as personal growth and transition).

Understanding the experience of older Chinese women whose socio-economic status changed after migration to Canada.

This study explores the lived experiences of four elderly Chinese immigrant women in Toronto. Using a combination of the socialist feminist theory and an anti-oppressive theory as the framework, this study analyzes how these women’s “dual role”- domestic labour and waged labour and the state pension policies cause them to live in poverty. The findings of this study indicate that these women lack power and are oppressed in almost every interaction that they have within the public sphere - the labour market and the private sphere – the home. Therefore, their poverty is far beyond their personal control. It is strongly associated with social structure injustice based on gender, class, race, immigrant status, age, and state policies. The strategies developed by these women to deal with the oppressive environment and the challenges that they encounter enable them to regain a sense of comfort and connection so that they are empowered and are not feeling alone.

Understanding the experience of older Chinese women whose socio-economic status changed after migration to Canada.

This study explores the lived experiences of four elderly Chinese immigrant women in Toronto. Using a combination of the socialist feminist theory and an anti-oppressive theory as the framework, this study analyzes how these women’s “dual role”- domestic labour and waged labour and the state pension policies cause them to live in poverty. The findings of this study indicate that these women lack power and are oppressed in almost every interaction that they have within the public sphere - the labour market and the private sphere – the home. Therefore, their poverty is far beyond their personal control. It is strongly associated with social structure injustice based on gender, class, race, immigrant status, age, and state policies. The strategies developed by these women to deal with the oppressive environment and the challenges that they encounter enable them to regain a sense of comfort and connection so that they are empowered and are not feeling alone.

Evaluating Culturally Tailored Strategies for Implementing Cognitive Interviewing on Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale Among Chinese Immigrant Women

Introduction While the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) is a standard clinical screening tool for postpartum depression, it is unclear whether it is culturally appropriate for Chinese immigrant women in the United States. Cognitive interviewing (CI) is a method for evaluating a scale’s cultural appropriateness. However, CI procedures are problematic with Chinese population. This study assesses three culturally tailored strategies for implementing CI to evaluate the Chinese version of the EPDS (C-EPDS). Methodology CI was conducted with 12 participants in the United States. Three culturally tailored strategies—a CI description, a vignette exercise, and debriefing were used. Directed content analysis was used for data analysis. Results The strategies increased participants’ understanding and ability to perform CI procedures, enabling them to discuss postpartum depression. Participants had difficulty responding to several C-EPDS items. Discussion Findings highlight the importance of using culturally tailored strategies for implementing CI to assess cultural appropriateness of clinical screening tools.