Canada’s colonial past and history of discrimination against Indigenous people has led to significant and persistent gaps in education and employment between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. A decolonial strategy, including the perspectives of Indigenous people, CDPs, and education professionals, is needed to reduce these gaps and promote greater social justice. 

With this in mind, Joncas and Pilote examined how Indigenous women’s study environments can encourage them to pursue their chosen educational path. The authors focus on Indigenous women, as their situation is different from that of Indigenous men and non-Indigenous women. For example, Indigenous women are more likely than non-Indigenous women to be mothers when in university. They also tend to earn less than Indigenous men, despite higher levels of education.

The researchers interviewed 19 Indigenous women students from two universities: a large urban university offering many services to its students – but no specific services for Indigenous people – and a smaller university in a remote area but offering specific services for Indigenous people. The interviews focused on the relational and institutional contexts that had influenced their academic careers[1]. 

For 8 of the 19 participants, the school environment helped them a lot to pursue their university studies. Four of them had a life path punctuated with personal obstacles and said that the community resources and services available on campus greatly helped them to succeed and stay engaged in school. Four other students felt that their study environment had helped them considerably to stay motivated. External reasons had driven them to enroll at university (the need for money, to change jobs, or to move) and they found it difficult to stay motivated without resources.

The other 11 participants did not use university services as much. Eight women already had several resources at their disposal (scholarships, income, cars, as well as support from family and friends) that enabled them to succeed without having to use university services. The other three participants had more challenging schooling. They went through periods of questioning before entering university, which led them to use support services in high school and college. As a result, they arrived at university more fully equipped and confident, which is why they did not use university support services.

Of the 8 who said they benefited greatly from academic services, 7 were studying at the smaller university that offered services specifically designed for Indigenous people. According to Joncas and Pilote’s study, universities can support the success of Indigenous women students in precarious positions by taking their specific needs into account. This finding is supported by other studies identified by the authors and by the testimonials of the students interviewed. For example, one student at a university that did not offer any services specific to Indigenous peoples reported that she did not use the services because she did not feel comfortable to use them.

Indigenous women can find it difficult to integrate into their school and work environments, which is why it is important to offer them services that recognize and are tailored to Indigenous cultures. The study shows that the presence of services is not enough in itself: We need to ensure that Indigenous students feel comfortable using the services. Collaboration with Indigenous peoples is essential if we are to develop new, inclusive strategies for career development.

[1] The same data was used by Joncas and Pilote in another study about the role of guidance professionals in enhancing the capabilities of Indigenous women students in Canada. Read this article’s summary here!