By: Nicholas Keung Immigration reporter,
A landmark Canadian study has found that Muslim women are no more repressed by men than are women in immigrant groups from other faiths.
Using paid employment as a measure of the emancipation for women, University of Toronto researchers compared the labour market participation of both genders in different religious groups as the barometer of gender equality.
“The traditional role of women is in the home. Getting out of the home and away from domestic tasks is a strong indicator of gender equality,” said U of T sociology professor Jeffrey Reitz, lead author of the study, “Gender Equity in Canada’s Newly Growing Religious Minorities,” published in the latest issue of the Ethnic and Racial Studies, a peer-reviewed journal.
“When you look at the evidence of labour force gender differences, Muslims are not that much different from Hindus, Sikhs and Christians, but a lot of the public focus has been directed unfairly at the Muslims. Before we label a group, we must engage the data and look for evidence.”