The objectives of this thesis are twofold: first, it aims to elucidate the experience of immigrant Punjabi women sponsored in their later years by sons and daughters already living in British Columbia, Canada; second, it examines the impact of immigration legislation on that experience. Family Class immigration legislation provides for the sponsorship of elderly parents on the condition that the sponsors support them for up to ten years. This stipulation, which enforces financial dependency, is examined in light of Indian cultural norms pertaining to filial duty towards aging parents and the changes that occur within the Punjabi family in the Canadian context.
The sample of sixty-two is stratified among five subsets comprised of (1) twelve elderly Punjabi Sikh women, (2) fourteen elderly Punjabi Sikh men, (3) twelve younger Punjabi Sikh women, (4) eight South Asian community leaders, and (5) sixteen South Asian service providers. All participants are currently residents of the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada. Data were collected by myself in the form of open-ended interviews.
The information collected covers a broad range of topics so as to reflect the entirety of the elderly woman's experience in her new home. The application of Nancy Foner's interpretation of the Age Stratification Model, as set out in her ethnological work, Ages in Conflict: A Cross-Cultural Perspective of Inequality Between Old and Young (1984), facilitates the extraction of some prevailing trends from within this rather complex mosaic. Nonetheless, Foner does not lose sight of the multifactoral nature of relationships between individuals of different age strata. While the health and social services available to elderly Punjabi women in Canada far exceed those they might expect in India, many suffer considerable social losses once they join their children in this country. This is especially evident in the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. Oftentimes, the daughter-in-law who sponsors and houses her husband's mother assumes the upper hand. In India, it is usually the young bride who occupies the most subservient position in her husband's home. In their efforts to secure some degree of respect in the sponsor's home, many elderly parents go out to work as farm labourers. Consistent with cultural mores which mandate that parents support, rather than extract from a daughter, elderly couples sponsored by daughters often feel they should establish some degree of independence as soon as they are able. Immigration legislation stipulating long-term dependency of the elderly couple on their sponsors further shapes their experience in this country, and may ultimately contribute to the incidence of elder abuse in this population. The term abuse is used here in its broadest sense to indicate not only physical manipulation, but also more insidious expressions such as neglect, forced confinement, or financial manipulation, for example. Several policy recommendations emerge from the study, not least of which is the suggestion that the dependency period be reduced to a maximum of five years or less.
In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts, Department of Anthropology. Thesis (M.A.)--University of Victoria, 1993. Includes bibliographical references. Microfiche.