Although there had been various studies on the consequences of participating in the ethnic economy, there has been a notable absence of research exploring the life satisfaction of those participating in it. A 1998/1999 survey of Chinese immigrants in metropolitan Toronto was analyzed to measure the life satisfaction of those participating in and outside the ethnic economy. Those working in the ethnic economy reported higher levels of life satisfaction than those working outside it. Five models were tested and the results suggest that the life satisfaction of immigrants does not relate to participation in the ethnic economy when workplace factors are taken into account. While the study did not find any specific effect on participation in the ethnic economy and life satisfaction, it invites further study on other aspects such as job satisfaction.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
ArrindellWillem A.HeesinkJoseFeijJan A.1999“The Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS): Appraisal with 1700 Health Young Adults in The Netherlands,”Personality and Individual Differences, 26:815–826.
2.
AryeeSamuel1999“An Examination of the Moderating Influence of Breadwinner Role Salience on the Pay-Life Satisfaction Relationship,”Human Relations, 52:1279–1290.
3.
BeiserMorton1999Strangers at the Gate: The “Boat People's” First Ten Years in Canada. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
4.
BonacichEdna1973“Theory of Middleman Minorities,”American Sociological Review, 38:583–594.
5.
BonacichEdnaAppelbaumRichard P.2000Behind the Label: Inequality in the Los Angeles Apparel Industry. Berkeley: University of California Press.
6.
BravermanHarry1974Labor and Monopoly Capital. New York: Monthly Review Press.
7.
CampbellAngus1976“Subjective Measures of Well-Being,”American Psychologist, 31(2):117–124.
8.
CramerDuncan1995“Life and Job Satisfaction: A Two-Wave Panel Study,”The Journal of Psychology, 129:261–267.
9.
FongEricIsajiwWsevolod W.2000“Determinants of Friendship Choices: A Perspective from the Minority Group,”Sociological Forum, 15(2).
10.
FongEricOokaEmi forthcoming “The Social Consequences of Participating in the Ethnic Economy,”International Migration Review.
11.
EdwardsRichard1979Contested Terrain: The Transformation of the Workplace in the Twentieth Century. New York: Basic Books.
12.
HenemanHerbert G.SchwabDonald P.1985“Pay Satisfaction: Its Multidimensional Nature and Measurement,”International Journal of Psychology, 20:129–141.
13.
HurhWon MooKimKwang Chung1979Assimilation Patterns of Immigrants in the United States: A Case Study of Korean Immigrants in the Chicago Area. Washington, DC: University Press of America.
14.
JenaS.P.K.1999“Job, Life Satisfaction and Occupational Stress of Women,”Social Science International, 15:75–80.
15.
KnappMartin R.1976“Predicting the Dimensions of Life Satisfaction,”Journal of Gerontology, 31:595–604.
16.
KohnMelvin L.SlomczynskiKazimierz M.1990Social Structure and Self Direction. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.
17.
KwongPeter1979Chinatown, New York: Labor and Politics, 1930–1950. New York: Monthly Review Press.
18.
LiPeterLiYahong1999“The Consumer Market of the Enclave Economy: A Study of Advertisements in a Chinese Daily Newspaper in Toronto,”Canadian Ethnic Studies, 31:61–75.
19.
LightIvan1972Ethnic Enterprise in America: Business and Welfare Among Chinese, Japanese, and Blacks. Berkeley: University of California Press.
20.
LightIvan1993“Internal Ethnicity in the Ethnic Community,”Ethnic and Racial Studies, 16(4):581–597.
21.
LoLuciaWangShuguang2000“Chinese Businesses in the Toronto: A Spatial and Structural Anatomy.” Paper presented at the Conference on Chinese Ethnic Economy, University of Toronto.
22.
LoganJohnRichardR.AlbaD.McNultyThomas L.1994“Ethnic Economies in Metropolitan Regions: Miami and Beyond,”Social Forces, 72:691–724.
23.
MarxKarl1964“Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts.” In Early Writings. Translated and edited by BottomoreT. B., New York: McGraw-Hill.
24.
ParkKyeyoung1997The Korean American Dream: Immigrants and Small Business in New York City. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.
25.
PortesAlejandro1995“Economic Sociology and the Sociology of Immigration: A Conceptual Overview.” In The Economic Sociology of Immigration: Essays on Networks, Ethnicity and Entrepreneurship. Edited by PortesAlejandro. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.
26.
PortesAlejandroBachRobert L.1985The Latin Journey: Cuban and Mexican Immigrants in the United States. Berkeley: University of California Press.
27.
PortesAlejandroJensenLeif1989“The Enclave and the Entrants: Patterns of Ethnic Enterprise in Miami Before and After Mariel,”American Sociological Review, 54:929–949.
28.
PortesAlejandroSensenbrennerJulia1998“Embeddedness and Immigration: Notes on the Social Determinants of Economic Action,”American Journal of Sociology, 98:1320–1350.
29.
RiceRobert W.NearJanet P.HuntRaymond G.1980“The Job Satisfaction/Life Satisfaction Relationship: A Review of Research,”Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 1:37–64.
30.
SandersJimy M.NeeVictor1996“Social Capital, Human Capital, and Immigrant Self-Employment,”American Socio logical Review, 61:231–249.
31.
SandersJimy M.NeeVictor1987“Limits of Ethnic Solidarity in the Enclave Economy,”American Sociological Review, 52:745–767.
32.
TaitMariannePadgettMargaret Y.BaldwinTimothy T.1989“Job and Life Satisfaction: A Reevaluation of the Strength of the Relationship and Gender Effects as a Function of the Date of the Study,”The Journal of Applied Psychology, 74:502–507.
33.
ThomasWilliam I.ZnanieckiFlorian1958The Polish Peasant in Europe and America. New York: Dover Publication.
34.
WaiteLinda J.GallagherMaggie2000The Case for Marriage: Why Married People are Happier, Healthier and Better Off Financially. New York: Doubleday.
35.
WeberMax1958The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. New York: Scribner.
36.
ZhouMin1992Chinatown: The Socioeconomic Potential of an Urban Enclave. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
