For Eritrean
refugee women in Canada, their transition into Canadian society is marked by
employment concerns, isolation and loneliness, and changes in gender dynamics.
Political unrest and severe droughts in Eritrea have caused massive economic
decline, resulting in nearly half of the population living in extreme poverty.
Starvation, forced military conscription and extreme subordination of women
have resulted in a refugee crisis. The majority of Eritrean refugees came to
Canada in the 1980s to escape the violence and oppression of their war-torn
country. For refugee women in particular, their experience as refugees was
marked with additional threats of sexual assault and exploitation. Resulting
from their subordinated status in Eritrea, many women arrived in Canada with
low levels of education and English proficiency. With many women coming to
Canada as family sponsors, this negatively impacted their eligibility to access
government programs to increase their education and improve their English
proficiency. As a result, women experienced employment concerns, often being
forced into low paying service sector jobs. Lack of adequate employment and
income resulted in financial insecurity, and often forced the women to rely on
social assistance. Family ties were broken during the refugee experience, and
women lost valuable women’s networks in their home country. Lack of English
proficiency and income stood as obstacles to the formation of new friendships
in Canada. Gender dynamics were also disrupted within Eritrean refugee
families. While Eritrea is a strictly patriarchal society and women occupied a
subordinate status, these values are not tolerated in Canada. Men lost their sense
of authority within their families, and women often became the primary
breadwinners when men were unable to find employment. Eritrean refugee parents
experienced a double burden of employment and childrearing. Maintaining a
strong sense of their Eritrean cultural identity, while also transitioning into
Canadian society is of primary concern.
Media representations of Black women
contribute to the building of a national identity. While shaping our opinions
of oppressed peoples, media also constructs racialized bodies as “outsiders” within
White Canadian society. These “outsiders,” or social deviants, are perspective
threats to national identity. Less obvious forms of segregation exist to
maintain “safe” spaces for the larger White population, and to prevent the
crossing of boundaries between “normal” and “deviant” aspects of society. An
example of this would be the “ghettoization” of Black communities, while White
suburbs are normalized. Both living arrangements are essentially the same, but
Black communities are seen as deviant. By portraying Black women as
hypersexualized in the media, it renders them mere sexual objects for men and
promotes their subordination in society. Negative portrayals of Black women
result in a lack of role models for young women and girls, and limit their life
chances. If the Black female experience is defined by a stereotype, how are
Black women able to live authentic lives?
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