Who Are Our Single Parents?

As of 2020, black women in Canada make up the highest percentage of single parents in the country, and black immigrant women from African countries account for higher rates than any other immigrant women in Canada (Houle, 2020). Quebec has recently welcomed over 52,000 foreign-born black immigrants between 2011 and 2016, with six in ten of these individuals being from African countries (Statscan, 2019).

A 2020 Stats Canada study determined that three in ten black immigrant women aged 25 to 59 (Houle, 2020) were single mothers. Education is a factor in employment for these women as 68.1% do not have a university degree (Houle, 2020). Unfortunately, this plays a huge role in the employment they have access to. The more education an individual has, the higher their income is likely to be.

This can explain the relatively high low-income rate of 29.5% (Houle, 2020) of black children from families that have immigrated from Africa. According to a study in 2016, African women had the lowest employment rate among all other black immigrant groups in Canada: 64.6%, and also the highest unemployment rate: 12.5% (Houle, 2020).

Resources

Houle, R. (2020, August 13). Changes in the socioeconomic situation of Canada’s Black population, 2001 to 2016. Changes in the socioeconomic situation of Canada’s Black population, 2001 to 2016. Retrieved April 13, 2022, from https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/89-657-x/89-657-x2020001-eng.htm

Statscan. (2019, February 27). Diversity of the Black population in Canada: An overview. Retrieved April 13, 2022, from https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/89-657-x/89-657-x2019002-eng.htm