Prosperity

Workfinding and Immigrant Women’s Prosperity in STEM

TGC conducted a two-year, Canada-wide analysis of the unique challenges visible minority and immigrant women face in finding employment in science, technology engineering and mathematics (STEM) occupations.

Much of Canada’s current labour market research and analysis is missing the lived experiences of these highly-skilled immigrant women, especially at the intersections of race, ability, language, health, housing, isolation, access to critical services and market-related information.

The results of the study challenge many persistent stereotypes of how Canadian institutions and the general cultural imagination perceive immigrant women, and serve to illustrate the necessity of linking Canada’s goals to establish a sustainable and competitive innovation economy, the workfinding experiences of STEM-trained women, and the general state of workers’ well-being and resilience across the country.

Research Team

Saadia Muzaffar, lead investigator
Saadia Muzaffar is a technology entrepreneur, author, and passionate advocate of responsible innovation, decent work for everyone, and prosperity of immigrant talent in STEM. She is the founder of TechGirls Canada, the hub for Canada’s women in STEM. Her research focuses on the intersection of innovation economies and the future of workers within it.

Dr. Nadia Caidi, academic lead
Nadia Caidi is a Professor at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Information, researching human information behavior and information policy in the context of global migration. She was the 2016 President of the International Association for Information Science & Technology. In 2019, the Association for Library Information Science Education awarded her the Pratt-Severn Faculty Innovation Award.

Buvani Sivagnanasunderam, public engagement and research coordinator
Buvani Sivagnanasunderam is a social researcher, dedicated to advancing equity, inclusion, and access in our communities. Her work focuses on advocating for the health and well-being of vulnerable and marginalized populations who are underserved and underrepresented by our current social systems and structures. Buvani currently serves on the ENABLE Access Steering Committee and is a member of City of Toronto's Accessibility Advisory Committee.

Shruti Kalyanaraman, research assistant
Shruti Kalyanaraman is a PhD candidate associated with York University's Gender, Feminist and Women's Studies department. Her research interests include heterogeneity of women in 'South Asian' diaspora, immigrant women's work and glass ceiling, 'South Asian' intra-ethnic racism and work, and privilege of immigrant settlers in settler colonialism.

Kasthuri Karunanithi, research assistant
Kasthuri Karunanithi is a Public Administration and Sociology studies graduate who has worked for Unity Health Toronto and the Ontario government. Her interest focuses on health and social services research, as illustrated by her experience working on projects that compare model predictions against clinician predictions for an early warning system in the General Internal Medicine ward at St. Michael’s Hospital.

REGIONAL RESEARCH NODES

  • CALGARY, AB

  • CHARLOTTETOWN, PE

  • HALIFAX, NS

  • IQALUIT, NU

  • MONCTON, NB

  • MONTREAL, QC

  • SASKATOON, SK

  • ST. JOHN’S, NL

  • TORONTO, ON

  • VANCOUVER, BC

  • WINNIPEG, MB

  • WHITEHORSE, YT

  • YELLOWKNIFE, NWT

Map by E. Pluribus Anthony