Abstract
The increase in international migration since the 1980s has raised new and
fundamental gender issues that merit further study and understanding. This
is especially so within gender and feminist scholarship because as the numbers
of international migrants grow, new gender and feminist realities and
contestations will emerge. This intersection is noteworthy and particularly
deserving of study among Nigerian immigrant women in Canada as they
increasingly migrate and confront the established belief that women are
usually left behind in international migration. Migration is creating new
gender in/equalities, class relational ethos, and tensions that are worthy of
study. This article, therefore, contributes to understanding how Nigerian
immigrant women in Canada respond to the tensions of competing work-life
demands and at what cost. It is based on a purely qualitative study conducted
among Nigerian immigrant women in Canada in 2024. Findings suggest that
they face continuous and shifting challenges and adopt strategies as they
struggle to balance work and life. Hence, women experience work-life balance
differently, with varying degrees of conflict between work and family
responsibilities and implications for their quality of life. We conclude that
Nigerian immigrant women in Canada continue to face the brunt of familylife
imbalance, exacerbated by pre-immigration cultural factors associated
with patriarchy.