Lifelong learning as ideological practice: an analysis from the perspective of immigrant women in Canada

Abstract

Critiques of lifelong learning have focused on the neo‐liberal underpinning of state policy, where individuals are expected to take responsibility for meeting the needs of changing labour market conditions in the post‐Fordist economy. We treat lifelong learning as an ‘ideological frame’ that (re)shapes how people see and understand social reality, and organise their job seeking activities accordingly. Our argument is supported with data from two studies that examine how professional immigrant women from China navigate the Canadian labour market from their perspectives. Specifically, we identify how lifelong learning as a discursive frame intersects with credentialism, the gendered and racialised construction of Chinese women, age and gendered familial relations to channel professional immigrant women into a labour market segmented along gender, ethnic and racial lines. We end with the policy implications of our discussion.

Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge the anonymous reviewers’ helpful comments, Willa Lichun Liu’s and Tara La Rose’s research assistance, and Dr. Shibao Guo’s encouragement in bringing this paper to fruition.

Notes

1. This study, entitled Learning to be good citizens: Informal learning and the labour market experiences of professional Chinese immigrant women, was funded by the Toronto Metropolis Centre of Excellence for Research on Immigration and Settlement (CERIS) between 2005 and 2006. The research team included R. Ng (principal researcher), G. Man (co‐researcher), two doctoral candidates as research assistants (H. Shan and W. Liu) and a community researcher (L. Peng) with a community partner, the Chinese Canadian National Council Toronto Chapter.

2. The second study, entitled Professional immigrant women navigating the Canadian labour market: A study in adult learning, is funded by SSHRC (#410‐2006‐1437) from 2006 to 2010. Team members are R. Ng (principal researcher), T. Das Gupta, G. Man, K. Mirchandani (co‐researchers) and a team of doctoral students as research assistants. This paper only focuses on the experience of the Chinese women.

3. By law, professionals in regulated professions have to be certified by the regulatory bodies in their respective professions in order to practise and/or use their professional designations.