Are We Oppressed or Liberated or Both? A Case Study of Persian Women Medical Doctors in Ontario

This study focuses on Persian women medical doctors and their lived experiences of immigrating to and settling in Canada, with particular focus on how they came to work as medical doctors in Ontario, and how these experiences shaped their gendered and racialized identities. Drawing on post-colonial feminist theory, this thesis entails a case study, where data were collected through (1) semi-structured interviews with Persian women medical doctors and (2) textual analysis of Canada’s Immigration and Citizenship website and documents pertaining to professional accreditation and credentialling.

The findings illustrate the study participants were able to successfully immigrate to Canada via the points system because of their education, training as medical doctors, and English language skills, having been educated in English. However, upon arrival, these same resources constrained settlement. In response, the women in this study exercised their agency and resisted stereotypes of being docile, submissive, and complacent Muslim women.