The Impact of Colonialism on Women and Unpaid Domestic Work in Canada

This essay examines the historical and contemporary issues surrounding women and unpaid domestic work in Canada. It traces the roots of gender inequality and wage disparity back to the colonial era, highlighting how early economic structures and immigration policies contributed to the exploitation of women's labor. The research questions address the impact of immigration policies, property ownership laws, government roles, workplace recognition, and women's education on unpaid domestic labor. The essay aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the challenges faced by women in Canada regarding unpaid domestic work and its implications for gender equality and economic justice. Desklib offers a platform for students to access similar solved assignments and past papers.

Running head: WOMEN AND UNPAID DOMESTIC WORK
Women and Unpaid Domestic Work
Name of Student
Nam of University
Author Note

1WOMEN AND UNPAID DOMESTIC WORK
Thesis Statement
Gender inequality and wage disparity have been major issues in the society. One of the most
prominent aspect of this discrimination is the unpaid domestic work that involves a huge number
of women workforce (Hakim, 2016). The gender and wage disparity in the Canadian society
cannot only be considered as a social issue but also an economic one as well. The history of
women and unpaid labor can be traced back to the era of European invasion to Canada. It has
been noticed that during the first European invasion, women were not included in the workforce
(Karamessini & Rubery, 2013). However, these women often took significant roles as unpaid
interpreters. During the British era, the Canadian society has witnessed a rise in the agriculture
based economy. During this time, the wage disparity and exploiting women as unpaid labors
increased significantly (Clark, 2013). It has been noticed that the women were not considered as
able to join the male dominated workforce and were married off. However, these married women
and their children were counted as a single production unit that the farm owners could use as
unpaid labors.
Women in the pre-colonial Canadian society were highly valued and used to be counted and
honored as important components in the Canadian households (Baxter & Hewitt, 2013).
Moreover, as a result of strong kinship the women were not dependent on the male members of
the families. However, along with colonization, the segregation in labor has also started. Starting
from the post-colonial era, the volume of unpaid work is around 51% of the total work done by
women (Summerfield, 2013). The aim of the research is to analyze the situation of women as
unpaid domestic workers in the post-colonial era.

2WOMEN AND UNPAID DOMESTIC WORK
Research Questions
RQ1: Did the immigration policies play influential role in increasing the number of unpaid
domestic workers in Canada?
RQ2: Did the family and property ownership laws aggravated the problem of unpaid domestic
work?
RQ3: Has the government played significant role in reducing the issue of unpaid labor?
RQ4: Did lack of recognition in the workplaces aggravate the situation?
RQ5: Does women education play influential role in unpaid domestic labor?

3WOMEN AND UNPAID DOMESTIC WORK
Reference
Baxter, J., & Hewitt, B. (2013). Negotiating domestic labor: Women's earnings and housework
time in Australia. Feminist Economics, 19(1), 29-53.
Clark, A. (2013). The working life of women in the seventeenth century. Routledge.
Hakim, C. (2016). Key issues in women's work: Female diversity and the polarisation of
women's employment. Routledge-Cavendish.
Karamessini, M., & Rubery, J. (Eds.). (2013). Women and austerity: The economic crisis and the
future for gender equality (Vol. 11). Routledge.
Summerfield, P. (2013). Women Workers in the Second World War: production and patriarchy
in conflict. Routledge.