Gendered ESL : accommodating immigrant women's cultural diversity in ESL classes

Research indicates that immigrant women have lower levels of English than men in English speaking regions including Canada. In Canada, Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) is a government-funded language program which assists immigrants in improving their language levels. However, immigrant women face a number of barriers to accessing this program. These barriers suggest that LINC does not successfully accommodate immigrant women's diverse gender-based roles. This study examines the barriers that exist including the barriers reported by four Spanish speaking female immigrants. With the help of LINC key informants, this study suggests that the LINC Home Study program, a distance study program, any assist women who are unable to use the in-class LINC course to improve their English language level.