The education of immigrant women, prospects and challenges for Ghanaian immigrant women in Canada

grantor: University of TorontoThis thesis is an investigation of the education of Ghanaian immigrant women who lived in Metropolitan Toronto from 1973 to 1993. Undertaken from a feminist perspective, the study probes the educational programs that were put in place for immigrant women and the women's response to the programs. The focus on education stems from the links that exist between education, work and status. There is widespread agreement among scholars that education is the single most important factor in gaining access to better economic, political and social positions, although some believe that it will not necessarily create equality between marginalized groups and mainstream society. Feminist scholars believe that while education may not create the equality that women desire, it can enhance women's status. It equips individuals and groups with the resources to access jobs that give social, economic, and political power. For immigrant women, education assumes greater significance in light of sexist immigration and social practices that limit the kinds of opportunities available to them. Since education opens the way to sectors that may be closed to immigrants, educating them would be a step toward giving them access to such sectors. By putting Ghanaian immigrant women at the centre of analysis, this thesis asserts that immigrant women's overall situation in Canada improved with education. Investigating immigrant education is a way of ascertaining society's efforts at empowering immigrant women by offering them access to resources. A conclusion drawn from the study is that the education that was fashioned for immigrant women was inadequate for their employment needs. Its definition was narrow, involving mainly English as a Second Language (ESL) that did not prepare women for labour market demands nor did it have the potential of enhancing their status. Another observation is that inadequate attention was paid to higher education as a viable option for immigrant women. Consequently, immigrant women's education did not have the potential to link women to jobs that could enhance their status. Ghanaian women who did not see ESL as the answer to their educational needs defined for themselves alternative educational avenues that held meaning for their lives and pursued these to their satisfaction and wellbeing.Ph.D