Origin, employment status and attitudes towards work: immigrants in Vancouver, Canada

Abstract

It is often implied in academic and public debate that non-immigrants and immigrants of various origin harbour different attitudes towards work. To examine whether these differences relate to men and women’s origin, labour market status, and length of time living at the place of settlement, an interview survey of 509 individuals was conducted in a predominantly Chinese-speaking neighbourhood, a Punjabi-speaking area and an English-speaking neighbourhood in Vancouver, Canada. The results of the survey are critically interpreted in light of Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of habitus. Although the study reveals origin-based differences in work attitudes, the article rejects the cultural essentialism that could be used to explain differences in economic performance.