Gender Differences in Educational Attainment among the Children of Canadian Immigrants

Abstract

This article examines the gender differences in university education attainment among the children of Canadian immigrants, observing the extent to which parental human capital and social capital in the family and immigrant community may be more important and/or different for men and women. This allows us to examine the degree to which structural and cultural factors used to explain racial differences in academic achievement are also viable explanations along gender lines. Distinct patterns of upward mobility or possibilities for blocked mobility are segmented not only by race and ethnicity but also along gender lines. This study finds the importance of parental human capital whereby maternal education matters more for girls while father's education was more prominent for son's education. Family structure and feelings of exclusion during childhood have a more important role for women while identification with an ethnic ancestry for men is crucial for their pursuit of higher education.