Assumptions and your work: Example

What impact might individual, workplace or societal assumptions have on the initiatives we develop?

Canadian society is not homogeneous. How can we ensure that our initiatives do not contain assumptions about similarities between Canadians or about the roles that people play in their communities and families?

Example: A woman who has always been responsible for her family’s finances immigrates to Canada with her husband and children as assisted refugees. Her husband is identified as the “head of household” and receives the income support in his name. What might be the impact?

The situation creates tension in the family. The husband is confused about what is expected of him in Canada. The wife feels her role in the family has been taken away and she is not valued in this new society.

What assumptions have been made about the roles of men and women in relation to household finances? Might these also be assumptions about the roles of women and men in particular societies?