SOCIOECONOMIC ATTAINMENT OF 30-YEARS OLD IMMIGRANT WOMEN IN CANADA

This research examines whether age at immigration is an important determinant of socioeconomic attainment among immigrant women aged 30 in 2001. Multivariate analysis indicates that child immigrant women (i.e., those who immigrated to Canada before age 13) have higher educational attainment, and higher occupational prestige at age 30 than those who had moved to Canada in their teens (i.e., between age 13 and 19). Age at immigration shows an indirect effect on income attainment, mediated through education and occupational prestige. These findings are explained in the context of a theoretical framework that considers, among other factors, the importance of differential parental expectations for their immigrant children with regard to educational attainment.