Multiple Migration and the Social Participation of Married Women

Abstract

<p>The purpose of this thesis is to explore whether and in what ways the frequency of migration may affect the extra-family social participation of married women. Prior sociological analysis has not addressed the issue although demographic data indicate that multiple migration has become a prevalent phenomenon among the population of urban Canada. The thesis focuses upon three aspects of married women's social participation: married women as labor force participants, as members of voluntary organizations and as participants in an informal network of friends, kin and neighbors. The design of the research is that of a cross-sectional survey of migrants who had recently migrated to the Hamilton-Burlington area of Ontario, Canada. The sample consists of one-hundred-one married women who were interviewed approximately nine to twelve months after their most recent migration. The analysis indicates that rate of geographic mobility is a factor affecting several aspects of social participation, although for the most part the evidence is not strong. The most common finding is that multiple migration, regardless of the number of multiple moves, has different consequences for social participation than one-time migration.</p>