Gendered Pathways of Afghan Refugee Integration in Canada: Insights from the Afghan Canadian Community Survey
Penn collection
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Critical and Cultural Studies
Social and Behavioral Sciences
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refugees
gender
employment
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Abstract
This paper investigates the gender dynamics of Afghan refugee integration in Canada, with a focus on how migration and resettlement shape household roles, labor market outcomes, and agency, particularly among Afghan women. Drawing on data from the Afghan Canadian Community Survey (2024), which includes over 1500 responses collected through web, phone, and in-person methods, the study analyzes demographic patterns, time spent in Canada, employment status, and income distribution, disaggregated by gender and marital status. Supplemented by scholarly literature, the analysis reveals that while men continue to migrate earlier and participate in the labor force at higher rates, women are increasingly migrating independently and entering the workforce. This reflects both shifting gender norms within Afghan households and responses to repression under Taliban rule. Despite this, both men and women face widespread barriers to employment, including limited education, language challenges, and credential recognition. Income levels also show little gender disparity, not because of equality but because both genders are concentrated in low-wage sectors. Ultimately, the study challenges assumptions that gender hierarchies within Afghan families are reproduced after migration. Instead, it finds that resettlement may act as an equalizer which disrupts traditional gender roles, seeing as barriers to integration are not limited to one gender.