Unveiling the invisible learning from unpaid household work: Chinese immigrants' perspective

Authors

  • Lichun Willa Liu PhD Candidate, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.56105/cjsae.v20i2.1105

Abstract

This paper examines unpaid household work and the informal learning involved in it, with the focus on new Chinese immigrants in Canada. The data used in this paper are drawn from two sources: the 2004 Canadian Survey on Work and Lifelong Learning , and in-depth interviews with 20 new Chinese immigrants in Toronto, Canada. The survey section examines data on informal learning through housework and general interest-related activities, with a focus on the comparison of three groups of Canadians: Canadian-born, other immigrants, and Chinese immigrants. The survey data explore how gender, immigration, and ethnicity influence the informal learning involved in performing the unpaid household activities. The interview section explores the impact of cross-cultural immigration on household work among new Chinese immigrants and the knowledge and skills they acquired through such work. Through the analysis of both the quantitative and qualitative data, the author argues that unpaid household work and the learning involved in it are not only gendered, but also classed, and that household work is constantly changing throughout one’s lifetime; thus, informal learning involved in such work is lifelong as well as lifewide.

Résumé

Cet article se penche sur le travail domestique non rémunéré et l’apprentissage informel qui s’y rattache, plus spécifiquement auprès d’immigrants chinois nouvellement arrivés au Canada. Les données utilisées proviennent de deux sources : un sondage pan-canadien mené en 2004 par le réseau Work and Lifelong Learning (WALL) et des entrevues menées auprès de vingt immigrants chinois, nouvellement établis à Toronto, Canada. La section qui se rapporte au sondage de WALL examine des données relatives à l’apprentissage informel par le travail domestique, et des activités d’intérêt général, auprès de trois groupes différents : canadiens de souche, autres immigrants et immigrants chinois. Les données de WALL s’attardent à la façon dont le sexe, l’immigration et la race influencent l’apprentissage informel impliqué dans le travail domestique non rémunéré. La section qui se rapporte aux entrevues mesure l’impact de l’immigration interculturelle sur le travail domestique chez les nouveaux immigrants chinois; elle fait aussi état des connaissances et compétences acquises par l’entremise de ce travail. À travers l’analyse de données qualitatives et quantitatives, l’auteur argumente que le travail domestique non rémunéré et l’apprentissage informel qui s’y rattache ne sont non seulement liés au sexe, mais aussi à la classe sociale, et que le travail domestique est en constant changement tout au long de la vie. Par conséquent l’apprentissage informel qui s’y rattache se prolonge tout au long et dans toutes les facettes de la vie.

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Published

2007-12-01

How to Cite

Liu, L. W. (2007). Unveiling the invisible learning from unpaid household work: Chinese immigrants’ perspective. Canadian Journal for the Study of Adult Education, 20(2), 25–40. https://doi.org/10.56105/cjsae.v20i2.1105

Issue

Vol. 20 No. 2 (2007): Special Issue on Work and Lifelong Learning

Section

Articles

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