Pathways to Prosperity: Canada

For Filipino women the migration and settlement process in Canada is complex and diverse. Research examining Filipino women’s experiences as newcomers and temporary workers has mainly focused on those living and working in major metropolitan centres such as Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. In the recently published book, Pinay on the Prairies, author Dr. Glenda Tibe Bonifacio of the University of Lethbridge takes an innovative approach by interviewing first generation immigrant Filipino women and temporary foreign workers in Western Canada, particularly Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Dr. Bonifacio’s study reveals how the shared experience of Filipino women through the migration and settlement process is connected to developing new identities, communities and ways of belonging in Canada. The cross-provincial study goes beyond the economic motivations of migration, examining the social, cultural and political factors that contribute to Filipino women’s decision to leave their country and families seeking better opportunities for themselves and loved ones. Pinay on the Prairies provides a deeper understanding of the similarities and differences encountered by Filipino women through community building and the creation of national and transnational identities, as well as the role that multiculturalism has in their migration experience in the Prairie provinces.

Dr. Bonifacio is an associate professor in Women and Gender Studies at the University of Lethbridge, who specializes in gender, migration and citizenship, globalization and development, women and religion/spirituality. A collaborator for the Prairie Node, Dr. Bonifacio’s research interests include transitional services of live-in caregivers in Alberta, gender and temporary foreign worker.

Click here for more information on Pinay on the Prairies