Seniors on the margins Seniors from ethnocultural minorities

Key issues

A number of factors contribute to the marginalization of ethnic minority seniors. Barriers to health care and other services such as those stemming from language and culture differences, discrimination and racism, or a lack of access to income sources, can lead to situations of isolation, dependency and poverty. Other factors such as being born in or outside of Canada, the age at immigration and the number of years worked since immigration can also play significant roles in the degree to which barriers exist. Marginalization, however, is not limited to only those born outside of Canada. Many Canadian-born seniors from ethnocultural minorities face difficulties resulting from cultural insensitivity and racism. Creating solutions to meet the needs of an aging population that is increasingly diverse will require joint efforts on the part of health care providers, government, service agencies as well as ethnic minority seniors themselves.

Income

Improvements to seniors' economic well-being have not been shared equally across the seniors population. In 1995, older immigrant men received 8.5% less income than Canadian-born men, while older immigrant women received 9.2% less income than Canadian-born women.¹ Immigrant seniors, especially women, face higher rates of poverty than seniors born in Canada. In 1995, 17.5% of immigrant senior men and 26.5% of immigrant senior women had low incomes compared to 11.5% of non-immigrant senior men and 23% of non-immigrant senior women.²

This inequality can partially be explained by Canada's pension system, which assumes that people will save over their working years in order to fund their retirement. For seniors who came to Canada in their middle age, late entry into the Canadian labour force means that they will have had less time to accumulate savings for their retirement than people who have worked their entire life in Canada. Compounding this is the fact that immigrants usually arrive with little personal wealth. Although Canadian immigrants tend to have lower than average incomes in their first years in Canada, in the past, most have generally been able to catch up to their Canadian-born counterparts. However, this appears less likely for the future and the Canadian Council for Social Development expressed concern that "recent immigrants are having greater difficulties in the labour market than did previous immigrants, and that their incomes may never reach the Canadian average."³

The income disadvantage faced by Canada's immigrants is illustrated by reports that the prospect for retirement is much more uncertain for immigrant adults than it is for their non-immigrant counterparts. According to recent national survey results, close to one-half of non-retired immigrants aged 45-59 do not know if or when they will retire. One-half also expressed concerns about the adequacy of their financial preparations for retirement. In comparison, only one-third of non-immigrant pre-retirees do not plan or do not know when they plan to retire and feel that they have not been able to make adequate financial preparations for retirement.⁴

The economic situation of recently-arrived older immigrants is even less secure. In fact, the older the age at immigration, the more likely one will live in poverty.⁵ For those who arrived later in life, accessing sources of income is particularly challenging. With little or no work history in Canada (necessary to qualify for Canada/Quebec Pension Plans) and a 10-year residency requirement to qualify for the Old Age Security benefit, many immigrant seniors are unlikely to be able to access public pensions. And even after 10 years, they are only eligible for partial benefits and do not qualify for full benefits until they have lived in Canada for 40 years.

Furthermore, opportunities for work are limited: cultural and linguistic differences, non-recognition of foreign credentials and structural barriers due to racism can hamper access to education, training and employment opportunities. In addition, mandatory retirement policies which force retirement at age 65 can impose significant economic hardship on those who depend on employment income.

Canadian-born members of visible minority populations are also at risk for low incomes and are more likely to live in poverty than Canadian-born members of non-visible minorities. According to one study, they have lower earnings than their non-visible minority counterparts even when factors such as potential employment experience, education, occupation and industry are taken into account. This suggests that there is discrimination in hiring and workplace practices.⁶

[Previous] [Table of Contents] [Next]