Immigrants’ Sense of Belonging to Canada: The Role of Source-Country Gender Inequality

Max Stick (), Lisa Kaida and Feng Hou
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Max Stick: Mount Saint Vincent University
Lisa Kaida: McMaster University
Feng Hou: Statistics Canada

Journal of International Migration and Integration, 2025, vol. 26, issue 3, No 1, 1249-1276

Abstract: Abstract A growing body of literature uses country-level indicators to examine the impact of immigrants’ source-country conditions on the home and work lives of immigrants after arrival. One measure that has attracted increased attention is gender inequality in immigrants’ countries of origin. However, little is known about the degree to which the transition from high to low gender inequality countries affects the development of connections with the receiving country and whether immigrant women and men are impacted differently. This article examines the association between source-country gender inequality and immigrants’ sense of belonging to Canada. Our regression analysis of data from the 2013 and 2020 General Social Surveys suggests a higher level of source-country gender inequality is associated with a stronger sense of belonging to Canada for both immigrant men and women. Despite concerns from some conservative critics that gender inequality in source countries hinders immigrant integration, the results show that immigrants from cultures different from Canada develop a strong sense of belonging to Canada. Our findings suggest that cultural distance does not necessarily have a negative impact on immigrant men’s and women’s self-perceived integration into their host country.

Keywords: Sense of belonging; Gender inequality; Integration; Immigration; Canada (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1007/s12134-024-01224-y

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