"Because We Have No One Else but Us": Mainland Chinese Immigrant Families in Canada
Although Mainland China has emerged to be a global economic power, many Mainland Chinese choose to immigrate and raise their families in a Western country. Since late 1990’s, Mainland China has been the largest source country for immigrants in Canada. Earlier studies have documented the settlement stresses experienced by individual immigrants from Mainland China (Sakamoto, 2005). However, little is known about the migration experiences of these immigrant families. This study aims to answer two questions: 1) Why do these families choose to come? 2) How do the family relationships evolve after they move to Canada?
Methods
Following the grounded theory principles, we conducted individual biographic interviews with 11 immigrant parents and 18 youth. All participants have lived in Canada for at least 3 years. All transcripts were transcribed verbatim. Two research assistants independently back translated interviews conducted from Mandarin Chinese in English. We first used open, line-by-line coding to generate initial categories and themes, followed by axial and selective coding. Constant comparison method was used until the data saturated. Memoing, audit trails, and triangulations were used to ensure study rigor.
Results
The social and structural differences between China and Canada were cited as the primary reasons for these families to move to Canada. Many parents considered Canada’s education system, environmental conditions, healthcare, and social welfare highly conducive to their children’s future. China’s one-child policy was also mentioned as a reason for migration, as parents would not be allowed to have a second child if they stayed in China. Whereas several parents moved primarily for advancing their children’s education, others indicated they immigrated for their own career aspirations.
Family relationships have changed and evolved during the course of immigration. Finding meaningful employment, overcoming language barriers, and securing stable housing were common settlement stresses faced by these families. Many participants indicated that despite the difficulties, their families become closer "because we have no one else but us” since they no longer enjoyed the types of support they used to have from the extended families. Others, however, indicated that the immigration process has been rocky for everyone in the family. A closer examination of the family history reveals that families who had a strong bond in China were more likely to adapt to the adversities they faced in Canada, whereas those who had a distant family relationship experienced exacerbated conflicts. While a few families who experienced conflicts reached out to teachers for help, none of the families approached social service agencies, and most dealt with their issues privately. Notably, when parents were able to adjust their parenting styles, including not comparing their children with others, putting less emphasis on academic excellence, and increasing expression of affection, the conflicts with their children in turn decrease.
Implications
The study helps reveal the strengths, resilience, and challenges faced by Chinese immigrant families. The findings suggest that social work services need to reach out to these families in a meaningful and relevant way, and design programs that are strength-based and promote positive youth and family development.