Document Type

Article

Publication Date

7-2013

Keywords

interlocking oppression, intersectionality, employment discrimination, internationally trained immigrants

Abstract

Social work has a long history of engagement with immigrants and refugees. However, the demographic profile of immigrants to Canada and their needs are changing. The past few decades have seen an increase in the numbers of highly educated professional immigrants from non-traditional countries of immigration. Though not typically thought of in the social work profession as a vulnerable population, this group faces multiple oppressions in Canada. This article reports on the findings of 20 in-depth interviews with internationally trained engineers and their experiences of discrimination either while searching for work, or in the workplace after employment was secured. Two key findings that emerge from this paper have important insights for social work practice. The first indicates internationally trained engineers experience discrimination on multiple axes pertaining to their social identities. The second reveals that a few participants did not view themselves as victims of discrimination, even though they acknowledged discrimination to be at play when others like them were unable to secure jobs as engineers. The findings challenge traditional views of who constitute vulnerable populations and disrupt notions of immigrant populations needing social work intervention only at the point when they are unable to cope with their cultural and social adaptations. The findings highlight the need for social work education to train students in the areas of advocacy, anti-racism, and anti-oppressive practice in order to better meet the needs of these groups.

Comments

Reprinted with permission of the publisher.

16 September 2016: At the time of publication, Sheridan College author Ferzana Chase was associated with York University.

Faculty

Faculty of Applied Health & Community Studies

School

School of Community Studies

Journal

Canadian Social Work Review/Revue Canadienne De Service Social

Version

Publisher's version

Peer Reviewed/Refereed Publication

yes

Terms of Use

Terms of Use for Works posted in SOURCE.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Original Publication Citation

Chaze, F., & George, U. (2013). The Interlocking Oppressions of Employment-Related Discrimination for Internationally Trained Engineers in Canada. Canadian Social Work Review/Revue Canadienne De Service Social, 30(2), 119-137.

Included in

Social Work Commons

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