Geographical isolation and a lack of gender-sensitive and caregiver-friendly workplace policies (CFWPs) in work settings lead to adverse impacts on the economic, emotional, and physical health of Transnational Carer-Employees (TCEs). TCEs are employed immigrants who engage in caregiving to their loved ones across borders while residing in the host country. The secondary analysis conducted herein looked at the experiences, commonalities, and differences among 29 TCEs from Pakistani, Syrian, African, and South American backgrounds living in London, Ontario, before and after COVID-19. Constructivism and intersectionality informed thematic analysis of the data highlighted that among the respondents, care is a religious obligation, influenced by culture as the eldest child or those living abroad are expected to help family back home and that men provide more financial caregiving whereas women divulge in higher physical and emotional care. Results also exhibit that TCEs work in low-skilled jobs due to a lack of English proficiency, care is limited because of financial barriers, and employer support, financial relief, and increased vacation time are the recommendations by TCEs for workplace policies. This thesis further showcases that there are more similarities than differences between the four visible minority cohorts. Most participants observed satisfaction after providing transnational care, whereas a few interviewees of Syrian and African origin reported feeling overwhelmed. While many TCEs observed low income and decreased work opportunities after COVID-19, a few participants of African ethnicity, working in essential services, disclosed an increased workload post-pandemic. This research reveals that to manage their care and work duties, visible minority TCEs apply four common coping strategies in their lives: praying, keeping busy, staying active, and family support. Implications of this thesis include the promotion of CFWPs in places of employment to sustain the welfare of TCEs and the Canadian economy. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc) / Transnational Carer-Employees (TCEs) are immigrants who provide caregiving to their families or friends in other nations while being employed in the country of resettlement. Immigrants are an integral part of the Canadian population growth and economy; however, their simultaneous work and unpaid care outside Canada have negative impacts on their well-being. The goal of this thesis was to explore the experiences of visible minority TCEs living in London, Ontario, before and after COVID-19. This research determines that many participants experience deskilling, are unaware of carer-friendly policies, and believe that caregiving is a cultural expectation. Findings also illuminate that care varies by gender, can lead to both feelings of reward and frustration, and that TCEs are unable to provide their desired level of care due to financial constraints. This research urges employers to accommodate TCEs through Care-Friendly Workplace Policies (CFWPs) in work settings such that the health of TCEs can be improved.

Carer-employees are defined as individuals who provide unpaid care to a disabled / ill dependent person(s) while working full-time in the paid labour force. In Canada, there are 6.1 million carer-employees, many of which are experiencing work-life balance struggles, which may result in ill-health. To minimize negative impacts, there is interest in developing caregiver-friendly workplace policies (CFWPs) as an intervention strategy to improve CEs’ work-life balance. However, the effectiveness of CFWPs are still in their infancy and often only focus on the work dimension. One of the most critical dimensions that have not yet been assessed is the activity-travel behaviour of carer-employees, which is largely impacted by the assisted-transport demands of their care-recipient. To contribute to filling in this gap, this dissertation addresses the following objectives: 1) develop an activity-travel behaviour profile of carer-employees using sociodemographic and caregiving characteristics; 2) identify spatial locations with potentially high assisted-transport demand while suggesting new areas to improve mobility independence of care-recipients, and; 3) create and apply a mixed-methods framework that classifies the actual activity-travel behaviour of carer-employees. The purposes of all three objectives are to: contribute to closing the literature gap; visually inform decision-makers and health planners, and; efficiently develop caregiver-friendly transport policies (CFTPs). Highlighted findings show that carer-employees conducting assisted-transport have lower income and are more likely to be tired and overwhelmed than those not performing the transport task (Objective 1). In Hamilton metropolitan area, 38% of the older adult population are not within immediate reach to a vital service, and another 15% are located in potentially high assisted-transport demand areas. Suggested areas for service implementation would improve access for older adults by 18% (Objective 2). Lastly, the framework has classified and ranked three types of activity-travel behaviours (Objective 3). All of these findings have led to the discussion of a multi-pronged implementation strategy for uptake of CFTPs. / Dissertation / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

This thesis extends prior research on LGBT caregivers and carer-employees by employing a mixed-methods approach to investigate the intersecting factors of identity, employment type, and geographical location on the experiences of Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (2SLGBTQ+) caregivers in Canada. These caregivers are broadly absent from both the carer-employee and LGBT caregiving literature, and this dissertation offers an initial attempt to correct this. It begins with a quantitative study involving 2SLGBTQ+ carer-employees, assessing how their identity and experiences of discrimination influence their quality of life, work life, and willingness to seek workplace accommodations for caregiving responsibilities. Subsequently, a qualitative component delves into how employment type shapes these experiences, with a particular focus on how insecure customer service workers and those employed in unionized pink-collar work navigate work-care conflicts. This section also examines the impact of non-traditional caregiving dynamics on the ability of these caregivers to navigate such conflicts. Lastly, it explores how past and current experiences of discrimination, non-conventional relationships, and geographical location affect the capacity of 2SLGBTQ+ carer-employees to interact with healthcare providers and advocate for their care recipients. This research offers a substantial contribution by bringing to the forefront a hitherto unaddressed population. The existing body of literature on carer-employees has overlooked the specific challenges faced by 2SLGBTQ+ carer-employees, and the LGBT caregiving literature has similarly overlooked the role of employment in shaping the experiences of these caregivers. Furthermore, it underscores the significance of geographical location for 2SLGBTQ+ caregivers in rural and remote areas and highlights the experiences of midlife and younger caregivers, particularly those providing care for individuals experiencing severe mental illness. It concludes with discussions of the policy implications of this research. / Dissertation / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / This thesis examines and explores the experiences of Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (2SLGBTQ+) carer-employees in Canada. These caregivers balance their unpaid care work with their paid employment, and face barriers when navigating care and work that are related to their 2SLGBTQ+ identity. Building on research that has identified that LGBT caregivers have unique needs and characteristics, and on research that highlights that individuals attempting to balance unpaid care work with paid employment face significant challenges when attempting to do so, this research brings these two fields together to examine how 2SLGBTQ+ identity impacts these experiences. In particular, it highlights that these caregivers experience poorer quality of life and worklife, that type of work and non-traditional caregiving dynamics may leave these caregivers more vulnerable to negative consequences associated with work-care conflicts, and that experiences of discrimination and concerns regarding confidentiality and anonymity for rural and northern 2SLGBTQ+ caregivers shape their ability to successfully navigate healthcare systems.