This thesis focuses on Chinese immigrant women’s experiences of household work and leisure in Canada. Socialist feminist perspective is used for an analysis of in-depth conversations with ten Chinese immigrant women with children. Results show that Chinese immigrant women experienced a significant increase of household work and a dramatic decrease on leisure pursuits after immigration and/or the birth of their children, implying that gender inequalities are reproduced and reinforced. Chinese immigrant women encounter and negotiate forms of tension resulted from the striking difference of being in China and being in Canada, their change in social status and their changed gender status. This thesis may contribute background knowledge for the practitioners in recreational programs and social works specialized in immigrant settlement services. Future research could be the motives for immigration, the actual experiences of immigration; a comparative study between Chinese immigrant women and women of other ethnicities is also suggested.

This thesis focuses on Chinese immigrant women’s experiences of household work and leisure in Canada. Socialist feminist perspective is used for an analysis of in-depth conversations with ten Chinese immigrant women with children. Results show that Chinese immigrant women experienced a significant increase of household work and a dramatic decrease on leisure pursuits after immigration and/or the birth of their children, implying that gender inequalities are reproduced and reinforced. Chinese immigrant women encounter and negotiate forms of tension resulted from the striking difference of being in China and being in Canada, their change in social status and their changed gender status. This thesis may contribute background knowledge for the practitioners in recreational programs and social works specialized in immigrant settlement services. Future research could be the motives for immigration, the actual experiences of immigration; a comparative study between Chinese immigrant women and women of other ethnicities is also suggested.

This thesis looks at the impact of migration and place on the traditional healing knowledge and practices of a Mexican immigrant mother from Guanajuato, Mexico: Sofia Perez. Through the use of oral history methodology and the application of the Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Wisdom (TEKW) model and the Social Ecological Model (SEM) to analyze the narratives, this study looks at the origin of Sofia's healing knowledge and practices and at how she has managed to keep these traditions alive despite migrating to the United States and living in a society that may not believe in the efficacy of these healing traditions. The application of the Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Wisdom (TEKW) model provided insight into the healing traditions of Sofia's home community and the ways in which these were learned, practiced, and preserved and proved useful in looking at how this was done by Sofia before and after migrating. Next, the Social Ecological Model (SEM) proved useful in looking at how place and its various social, cultural, and ecological aspects have influenced Sofia's use of traditional medicine since she migrated. Overall, Sofia's knowledge and practices have been impacted by migration and place; however, she continues to practice these traditions as best as she can.