Issue 42: The Second Shift: Immigrant Women Never Clock Out  March 10th 2026

The Second Shift: Immigrant Women Never Clock Out

Source: Stock AI image

Tethered to the Counter

The story is published in recognition of International Women's Day — celebrated globally on March 8th as a day honouring the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women.

In Toronto-based Min Sook Lee's documentary film, There Are No Words, that premiered at TIFF in 2025, the family's Korean variety store is one of the film's central images. Lee described her mother, Song Ji Lee, working long hours in the store as "tethered to the counter" with "nowhere else to go." It was as if she was in a cage when at work.

Her mother worked in the store all day. She would then come home to cook and feed the children, manage the household, and bear the responsibilities of what it means to be a working immigrant mom in Canada. Lee's mother was isolated. She didn't have the language or support from the community to understand what she was experiencing. She knew her responsibility was to be the dutiful wife and mother, without considering her needs.

Lee's mother committed suicide when she was just 12 years old. Lee made the documentary film, a "personal essay," to help her understand her mother's suicide and know who she was. We wrote about Min Sook Lee and There Are No Words earlier here.

The Shift That Never Ends

The term was coined by sociologist Arlie Hochschild in her 1989 book The Second Shift of the same name. Hochschild began interviewing immigrant working-class women and recalls getting the idea for the second shift from a woman who said:

"I go to work. I come home from work, the kids need to be fed, they need to be put into a bath and put to bed. I've got to get lunch ready for tomorrow, put the laundry in. Then I go to sleep and I wake up...Life at home has become a second shift."

For working moms, especially racialized women, work-life balance is a constant battle. A 2023 survey by Capterra found that 65 percent of working mothers in Canada experienced a "difficult mental load" in trying to balance work and family responsibilities. Globally, women aged 15+ dedicate 3.2 times more effort to unpaid care work than men, while in Canada it is 1.7 times (International Labour Organization, 2018).

The pandemic supercharged the second shift disparity: 71 per cent of women in Canada reported feeling more anxious, depressed, isolated, overworked, or ill due to shouldering more unpaid care work, according to a national Oxfam Canada poll. The Vanier Institute found in 2024 that racialized women still bear the brunt of household tasks — leaving them with a greater overall workload and less time to rest.

Good Immigrants Don’t Complain

Dr. Farah Ahmad, an academic researcher at York University's School of Health Policy & Management, studies the mental health and well-being of immigrant and racialized women. She says that when immigrant women and mothers arrive in Canada, they not only leave behind their country but all the people who shared the load:

"They were doing child rearing shared by mothers and grandmothers, but when they migrate here, they are alone....They were helped by their sisters and neighbors and aunts and aunties, and maybe they were able to afford some extra help for household work. When they migrate, those duties become heavy for them and disproportionate because now they are alone."

Dr. Ahmad says one of the primary drivers of mental health deterioration among immigrant women is isolation, due to a set of cultural and social pressures that keep women silent. Dr. Ahmad points to the expectation of the "super woman" that immigrants face when they arrive in Canada:

"You are expected to be some super woman who can handle everything. And in order to meet those expectations of a good mom, a good wife, a good sister, and maybe a good worker as well, you are going to keep silent."

Pressure to be a Model Minority

When immigrant women fail to meet an impossible standard, speaking up and asking for help isn't an option. This is because "good immigrants" and "model minorities" don't complain partly because they are not expected to:

"There is a pressure of being a model minority. They don't want to share their stories with the neighbors, the coworkers because they think, 'I will be judged. Why did you leave your country? Why did you come here if you have such weak nerves?'"

Dr. Ahmad says immigrant racialized women face "multiple jeopardies" that compound and intensify to create significant disadvantages. Gender exposes them to unequal domestic labour, race exposes them to discrimination in employment and healthcare, and immigration status strips away their support networks. The result, Dr. Ahmad says, is the compounding of invisible pain:

"No one is listening to their emotions, feelings, and the cry and the exhaustion they are experiencing."

When Divorce and Walking Away Is the Only Fix

Dr. Chenielle Delahaye is a Jamaican-born immigrant, mother, academic and founder of Della Enzy Essentials, a Canadian wellness and lifestyle brand. Before moving to Canada during the pandemic, she was familiar with juggling multiple roles — dropping kids to school, picking them up, working three jobs — but she had a village to lean on:

"I had my mom, all my siblings. And on weekends, it would be everybody putting their hands forward and helping, whether it's to come over and cook or to just gather and have fun. So we'd have a community."

Delahaye had dreams to complete her PhD, start a business, and be a good wife and mother. She says her husband didn't support her taking a government job — "he was upset I didn't get his permission." She sought counselling, where she was told her ambition was not the problem. Her husband refused to attend, and their marital challenges were affecting their teenage daughter.

On leaving the marriage, Delahaye explains, "There's some things that cannot be fixed. The only fixing is just walking away and creating your own space." While leaving was hard, she didn't want to carry the shame of divorce:

"Your story does not end with that person. He or she is just a part of the story. So if you decide to move on to save yourself and your kids, that is your story and there's nothing to be embarrassed about."

Her experience embodies the "multiple jeopardies" described by Dr. Ahmad. As a Black immigrant woman and mother, she dealt simultaneously with rigid patriarchal expectations, isolation and depression in a new country, and the systemic barriers of rebuilding her career as a single parent. She says,

"It's not okay to just be going, going, going. You have to do whatever you can to make sure you're okay because life will just slip away. I was at the point where even my blood pressure was through the roof and I remember going to the hospital several times and they refused to medicate me because they knew my problem wasn't medical."

Delahaye found a lifeline through WeHub (Women Entrepreneurship Hub), a program offered by Scadding Court Community Centre in partnership with Toronto Metropolitan University that supports women entrepreneurs in the GTA with expert coaching and individualized guidance.

Growing up in Canada: Filling Your Own Cup

For Scarborough-based actor, comedian, and clinical researcher Mayuri Jeyabalachandran, the "second shift" is tied to memories of her late mother, who volunteered at her daycare to gain Canadian experience.

"I grew up seeing dad go to work and provide financially... and then mom has been with the kids all day and then has to provide for the husband," she says. "That's the blueprint of that generation. ...When I took my son grocery shopping I was so anxious. I thought about all the times my mom didn't have a licence and had to carry me on the bus, the bags, everything."

Growing up watching Tamil movies, the "supermom" who could do everything all at once seemed normal — until becoming a mother in 2024 shattered the myth.

"I realize — Holy crap, that's insane. I don't think I'm capable of doing that, to be frank."

She reflects on the weight of her mom's sacrifice:

"I lost my mom in 2019. I wasn't able to tell her… we never took a break to ask, 'Are you okay? Do you need help?'"

As a new mom, Jeyabalachandran navigates a different reality. "Both of us need to be working full-time in this economy in Toronto," she says of her and her husband. To manage the second shift, they rely heavily on their modern village.

"I have a dad who lives with us, that is a huge blessing because honestly having a strong support system is half the battle already."

"I always knew that I have to fill my own cup," she explains. She unapologetically prioritizes her well-being, and recalls:

"I was going to yoga four times a week even while on maternity leave. My husband's fine with it because I need to fill my cup.... I posted a photo of my coffee. I didn't have to heat it three times because someone was holding the baby."

For her, these small acts of self-care are a necessity. She recognizes that rejecting the "model minority" and "supermom" myth is the best way she can care for her family:

"If I'm not mentally strong, if I'm not mentally happy, I'm just making it worse for my son, my husband, and my dad."

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The Second Shift Isn't Forever: Coping Strategies and Solutions

Dr. Ahmad believes systemic change is essential. Communities and institutions must create spaces where immigrant women's stories are heard without judgment. She also stresses the power of role models: when women see others who look like them and have lived what they've lived speak openly about struggle and survival, it reduces the stigma that keeps them silent.

Delahaye urges women to plan ahead: know your finances, know your options, and don't wait for a crisis to seek support.

Jeyabalachandran believes in honest conversations from the start — normalizing asking for help, talking openly with partners, and refusing to carry the weight alone.

The village may look different in Canada, but it can be built by seeking support and understanding from someone in your community one step at a time.

Maris Kwan is a third year student at the University of Toronto studying Health Studies and Health Policy. She has an interest in community journalism especially issues affecting newcomers and immigrants. Flavian DeLima is the publisher and editor of Spinning Forward.

Resources and Community Connections

If you or someone you know needs support, these organizations offer culturally responsive services and community connections across the GTA:

Settlement & Community Support

• Women's Health in Women's Hands Community Health Centre
• Centre for Immigrant and Community Services — Immigrant Women Services
• Working Women Community Centre
• Newcomer Women's Services
• Elspeth Heyworth Centre for Women

Women's Entrepreneurship

• WeHub — Women's Entrepreneurship Hub
• Scadding Court Community Centre
• Toronto Metropolitan University — WeHub

Research & Mental Health

• Dr. Farah Ahmad — York University, School of Health Policy & Management