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Self-Perceived Success
of Adjustment by
Sri Lankan Immigrants
in Metropolitan Toronto:
A Preliminary Report
By: Caryl Abrahams & Lisa Steven
From: Polyphony Vol.12 pp.30-34
© 1990 Multicultural History Society of Ontario
This study concerns a selection of the Sri Lankan immigrant
community that arrived in Canada before the recent influx of Tamil refugees
from that country. It attempts to measure the success of their adaptation
from the point of view of community members.
This brief report is both preliminary and selective. The sample used in
the survey was largely limited to Sinhalese and Burghers, people of mixed
European and indigenous Sri Lankan descent. Much of this immigration occurred
before the major influx of Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka, the result of
the civil war in that country, which still continues. This new group of
Sri Lankan refugees is quite different from the earlier, largely English-speaking
group of educated immigrants with which this study is concerned. The refugees
are overwhelmingly Tamil, and many can only speak the Tamil language. In
addition, their education has often been disrupted by the instability in
Sri Lanka, and they generally do not come from the more privileged middle
and upper classes in that country. All of the countries of the South Asian
region are, like Canada, multi ethnic and multicultural societies. We are
concerned here with a small group that represents only a portion of Sri
Lankan society both in their home country and in their new home in Canada.
It is apparent that relatively little research has been conducted on Sri
Lankan immigrants in Canada and the factors that facilitate their successful
adjustment. Most of the literature concerns the South Asian community in
general and the factors that inhibit its adjustment. This report presents
the results of an exploratory, qualitative study of the self-perceived success
of the adjustment by Sri Lankan immigrants to Metropolitan Toronto and seeks
to provide some basic data to fill the gaps in the existing literature(1).
For statistical purposes, information regarding the Sri Lankan Canadian
population is usually combined with the data on the south Asian population.
This produces a homogenization of the diverse ethnic groups from South Asia.
The present exploratory study is important because it contributes to our
understanding of the diversity of South Asain immigrants and examines relatively
unexplored aspects of Sri Lankan imigration. By identifying the factors
that contribute to the successful adjustment of Sri Lankan immigrants, their
adaptation experience will be understood better and means may be suggested
to improve immigration services in Canada.
A review of the available literature helped to identify areas that need
further study. For instance, by gaining a better understanding of the Sri
Lankan ethnic group in Canada, leasons for immigration, the immigration
process, and factors influencing adaptation, we can identify, for further
exploration, qualitative factors that may promote successful adjustment.
The causes of Sri Lankan emigration identified in the literature include
changes in political party dominance, intermittent political instability,
high unemployment, poverty, and lack of career opportunities.
According to S. McDaniel, Canada's immigration policy "has been and
continues to be defined in terms of 'what immigrants can do for Canada.'
Canada's immigration policy in the past has been pegged rather directly
to Canada's economic goals" (McDaniel, 1986: 101). The Canadian government
used the Sri Lankan English newspapers to encourage young people to settle
in Canada (McAteer, 1978). Canada was portrayed as a "land of opportunity"
that welcomed the increasing number of under employed or unemployed but
educated Sri Lankan youth (Ontario, 1981). This situation created a brain
drain, to Canada, of educated and skilled people with a good command of
the English language. George Kurian (1982) reports that South Asian immigrants
have less difficulty adjusting to life in Canada if they are well educated.
The Ontario Ministry of Culture and Recreation (1981) observes that Sri
Lankans integrate well into Canadian life because many of them are highly
educated and skilled people with a good command of English. Their knowledge
of English results from the British colonial system in Ceylon and from the
use of English as the language of education and business in Sri Lanka and,
until 1966, as the official language of the country (Carey, 1976). Many
English-speaking Burghers immigrated to Canada when Sinhalese became the
official language. The combination of language and education has enabled
them to upgrade their education in Canada and in turn, has facilitated their
adaptation.
The current exploratory study was undertaken to obtain qualitative data
on the self-perceived adjustment of Sri Lankan immigrants in Metropolitan
Toronto. After completing the literature review, research students from
the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto developed an interview
guide to assist in gathering these data. Open-ended interviews were used.
No suggestions regarding answers were given or implied. The guide was pre-tested
and alterations were made before a final version was prepared.
The guide consists of three major sections. The first asks for personal
and demographic data, such as the age, sex, marital status, and education
of the respondents. The second section deals with the preparation for, and
process of immigration and attempts to ascertain how the decision was made
to immigrate to Canada and what preparations were made for immigration.
The final section of the interview guide was designed to obtain qualitative
data on the success of adjustment of Sri Lankan immigrants in Metropolitan
Toronto. Respondents were asked to describe what influenced their adaptation,
and researchers sought to avoid North American preconceptions and culturally
biased criteria regarding adjustment.
The initial sample consisted of thirty-three families from the Canada Sri
Lanka Association of Metropolitan Toronto who volunteered to participate.
Potential respondents were contacted in advance by a director of the association
and told of the nature of the study. The self-selection of the sample limited
the range of respondents. Participants were assigned randomly to interviewers,
each family was telephoned by an interviewer who arranged a meeting. Interviews
were conducted in English in the home of the respondents.
The data presented here represent the responses of thirty-seven persons,
eighteen women and nineteen men, all born in Sri Lanka. The respondents
ranged in age from 30 to 70; the average was 44. All but one respondent
were married. Seventy-four percent of the sample were Canadian citizens,
the rest having kept their landed immigrant status. All respondents had
been in Canada at least three years. Although twenty-one individuals (56
per cent) have Sinhalese as their mother tongue, thirteen (35 per cent)
gave English. Only 8 per cent of the sample reported Tamil as their mother
tongue.
Only one person reported less than secondary education, and 24 per cent
had completed post-secondary, postgraduate, or professional education. Thirty-three
persons had completed the greater part of their education in Sri Lanka,
although twenty-five respondents from the sample had some form of Canadian
upgrading or additional post secondary work since arriving here. Eighty-seven
per cent of the sample reported that they had relatives in Sri Lanka. The
majority of respondents visited Sri Lanka every four or five years and only
13 per cent had never returned since immigrating to Canada.
In the discussion of immigration, several factors emerged as significant.
Only one person had visited Canada before emigrating. Seventy-six per cent
of the respondents reported that their first overseas living experience
occurred in Canada, although 32 per cent had previously made at least one
visit to another country.
When describing the immigration process, twenty-one respondents (56.8 per
cent) reported that they came to Canada with other family members. For 54
per cent of the sample, the decision to emigrate was made for them by family
members. Of the sixteen respondents who decided independently to emigrate
to Canada, eleven were men while only five were women. Their reasons for
immigrating to Canada included: family re-unification (51.3 per cent), educational
or employment opportunities (10.8 per cent), and the political situation
in Sri Lanka (10.8 per cent). Twenty-two respondents had Sri Lankan friends
in Canada before emigrating; thirty-five people did not. When asked about
financial support available for immigrating, twenty-eight respondents said
that relatives in Canada had helped financially or helped with housing,
and eight people reported that they had help from friends.
In response to the question "What are the most important things contributing
to your adjustment in Canada?" the following variables were identified:
personal factors, 78 per cent (twenty-nine respondents), such as knowlage
of English and personal motivation; cultural factors, 57 per cent (tewnty
one respondents), such as having a cultural background similar to that of
Canadians and a commitment to Canada; economic, occupational, and educational
opportunities in Canada, 52 per cent (eighteen respondents); family, 46
per cent (seventeen respondents); and Sri Lankan friends, 38 per cent (ten
respondents). In the discussion of adiustment factors, the importance of
families was consistent with the reasons given for immigrating. Issues of
a personal nature like educadon, language, or Western orientation, were
consistent with factors previously identified with successful adjustment
in the literature already discussed.
Of the thirty-seven respondents, thirty four (91.9 per cent) commented that
changes in their family occurred after immigrating to Canada. Specifically,
seven respondents described an improvement in the economic situation of
the family, while three noted a deterioration. Fifty-four per cent reported
family changes relating to women. For instance, eight respondents remarked
that women were now working for wages, and another eight said that men were
having to participate in household chores. Family changes related to children
were reported by 59.5 per cent of the sample. For example, twelve respondents
reported that their children were more independent since immigrating to
Canada.
A change in personal lives since immigrating to Canada was reported by 86.5
per cent (thirty-two respondents). Fourteen people reported personal changes
in relation to the household, five reported less reliance on neighbours,
and six people reported having less time.
Participation in leisure activities was an additional topic explored. Eighty-two
per cent of the respondents felt that, in general, Sri Lankan Canadians
were active in leisure pursuits, although only 67 per cent said that they,
personally, were active. They identified leisure activities as sports, dances,
musical events, religious activities, cultural activities, and so forth.
This reporting is preliminary and includes only the data from the first
round of interviews. Additional interviews now underway will expand the
data base to include a somewhat wider variety of respondents as well as
double the sample size. It is hoped that more specific data regarding self-identified
factors influencing adjustment by Sri Lankan immigrants will be forthcoming
when the data are complete. The research should be completed by the end
of 1991.
Caryl Abrahams is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Social
Work and a member of the Centre for South Asian Studies, University of Toronto.
Lisa Steven is a recent graduate of the Faculty of Social Work.
Website design: TG Magazine, 1996