THE IMPACT OF MIGRATION ON THE SEXUAL DIVISION OF FAMILY WORK - A CASE-STUDY OF ITALIAN IMMIGRANT COUPLES

Through the use of indepth interviews, this study examines the impact of migration, from one social-economic milieu to another, on family dy namics among 20 immigrant Italian couples in Toronto. Specifically hig hlighting the effects of wives' wage employment on the division of fam ily work and decision-making power, the authors question the argument that migration results in egalitarian gender dynamics within immigrant families. In doing so, they identify three distinct patterns of wife- husband relations among immigrant families: 1) Sex-segregated division of family work and unequal power relations; 2) Sex-segregated divisio n of labour and greater sharing of power; 3) Sex-transcendent division of labour and shared power under extenuating circumstances. Based on these findings, the authors argue that changes taking place as a resul t of migration are reflective of adaptation to new demands within the context of a new social and economic environment.