Parvinder Hira-Friesen
Assistant Professor
Parvinder Hira-Friesen, Assistant Professor, Sociology
BSc (University of Alberta), M.A. (University of Alberta), Ph.D. (University of Calgary)
Durham Campus, DUR 186, ext. 5051, parvinderhirafriesen@trentu.ca
Classes I teach at Trent:
- SOCI 1002 Introductory Sociology
- SOCI 2151 Researching Social Life
- SOCI 3151 Practicing Social Research
- SOCI 3160 Data Analysis
- SOCI 4420 Aging and the Lifecourse
My research interests include:
Immigration, Labour and Social Justice
How does your research translate into your teaching, both through courses and supervision?
My research reveals patterns of social inequality in Canada’s labour markets with respect to gender, migration, race and ethnicity, that have been poorly understood and documented.
Using advanced quantitative methods, my work demonstrates how certain groups are over- represented in precarious employment. As such, understanding racialized and gendered precariousness within Canadian labour markets is central to my research program.
I utilize this knowledge in my lectures by organizing the course material to reflect societal social stratification and marginalization experienced by Canadians. My research experience using quantitative analysis is reflected in teaching data analysis as well as research methods.
My current or recent projects include:
My current project is SSHRC funded research in which I examine the role of labour market precarity and its effects on immigration and crime. Specifically, I will use the Canadian Labour Force Survey and the Canadian General Social Survey to conduct a macro-level regional analysis on crime rates across Canada and then examine the labour force outcomes for these regions for the purposes of establishing a possible connection.
Five publications that exemplify my work:
Hira-Friesen, P. (2018) Does Employment in Precarious Work Lead to Wage Disparities For Canadian Immigrants? Canadian Ethnic Studies, 50 (1), 69-86.
Hira-Friesen, P. (2017) The Effect of Census Metropolitan Area and Labour Market Characteristics on Canadian Immigrant Employment in Precarious Work, 2006-2012. Canadian Journal of Urban Research. Vol. 26 Issue 1, 1-15.
Hira-Friesen, P. (2016) Immigrants and Precarious Work in Canada: Trends, 2006-2012. Journal of International Migration and Integration, 19 (1), 35-37.
Hira-Friesen, P. (2015) An examination of participation in the trades and clerical work among Canadian immigrants across generations. Canadian Studies in Population, 42(3-4), 24-38.
Hira-Friesen, P., Haan, M., & Krahn, H. (2013). Trades-related post-secondary educational attainment among immigrant and Canadian-born young adults in Alberta. Alberta Journal of Educational Research, 59(1), 29-44.
What achievements and/or contributions in research are you most proud of?
I am most proud of establishing a quantitative link between labour market precarity and being an immigrant in Canada. The findings of my research indicate that recent immigrant males and females are overrepresented in involuntary part-time work, and this trend is increasing over time. Furthermore, recently immigrated women are nearly twice as likely as Canadian-born women to be employed in temporary jobs. My research illuminates in new ways the racialized and gendered precariousness within Canadian labour markets.
Accepting new UG and Graduate student supervisions:
Yes