Racism in the workplace : its impact on life satisfaction of a sample of Caribbean immigrants in Winnipeg
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Date
1991
Authors
Chambers, Evadne E.
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Abstract
The objective of this thesis was to investigate the impact of racial discrimination in the workplace on the life satisfaction of a select group of Caribbean immigrants in Winnipeg. It also examined the relationship between the migrants' use of support systems to deal with this discrimination and their level of life satisfaction. It further examined the relationship between the experience of racism and the migrants' self identification as Canadian. The researcher hypothesized that: ( a ) the experience of racial discriminaton in the workplace would negatively affect the life satisfaction of West Indian immigrants in Winnipeg; (b) respondents level of identification with the larger society and ultimately of themselves as Canadians would be negatively affected by their experience of racism in the workplace; (c) the use of support systems to combat the experience of racism in the workplace would have a positive effect on respondents level of satisfaction and their level of identification with the larger Canadian community. The approach used to collect the data required the construction of a scheduled questionnaire. The questionnarie was administered to twenty men and twenty women who were employed in Winnipeg during the summer of 1987. Variables evaluated were respondents': (a) perception of self as the object of racism in the workplace; (b) use of support systems to combat experience of racism in the workplace; (c) level of identification with the workgroup; (d) level of social interaction with white Canadian colleagues away from the job situation; (e) identification of self as Canadian; (f) level of job satifaction; (g) level of life satisfaction. The results indicate that there is no strong relationship between the immigrants' experience of racial discrimination in the workplace and their level of life satisfaction. While respondents might have experienced workplace racism in its various forms, their overall satisfaction with their lives as West Indian immigrants living in Winnipeg is of a high level. While respondents' level of identification with the workgroup was high in the area of task performance, their level of social interaction with their white Canadian colleagues away from the job situation was low. Respondents' level of identification of themselves as Canadian was generally low. The results also indicate that the use of support systems to deal with racism affects respondents' level of life satisfaction and identification of self as Canadian. When the network of support included more formal organizations such as unions, school boards and the Human Rights Commission, respondents reported higher levels of life satisfaction and identification of self as Canadian.