Cooking, Cleaning, and Caring: COVID-19, essential labour and the experiences of immigrant and migrant women in Nova Scotia

Year of Publication: 2024

Author: Catherine Bryan, María José Yax-Fraser, Zainab Almukhtar, Mitherayee Augustine, Jodi VanderHeide

Publication Source: Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives

Category: ,

DOI: https://policyalternatives.ca/publications/reports/cooking-cleaning-and-caring

Language: English

A detailed look at the experiences of migrant and immigrant women’s working conditions in low-wage essential sectors in Nova Scotia before, during, and following the most acute periods of the COVID-19 pandemic, this report draws on 27 in-depth, qualitative interviews.

Before the pandemic, the women interviewed experienced barriers to and challenges in employment. Finding work was difficult, and once it was secured, many confronted racism, exclusion, and exploitation. These worsened during the pandemic. Illustrating this, our study offers four features of employment in essential sectors experienced by migrant and immigrant women during the pandemic. Decreased earnings and opportunities for employment; increased workload; being responsibilized for enforcing public health regulations; and increased emotional and affective labour.