Through my son: Immigrant women bargain with patriarchy

SynopsisImmigration to North America is often depicted as an opportunity for third world women to become free from structural and patriarchal barriers which often exist in their countries of origin. In fact for some women, immigration to North America may provide the economic, political and/or legal resources needed to renegotiate patriarchal power structures within the family. However, my research indicates that immigration to Canada facilitates increased reliance on patriarchal familial relations for some older female immigrants. This article shows that older Indo-Fijian immigrant women, upon finding themselves further entrenched in patriarchal relations in Canada, negotiate those relations and attempt to gain some control through their alliances or linkages with their son(s) and their male grandchildren. This article explores these women's caregiving for their grandchildren as an act of patriarchal bargaining and reproduction.