Paternal Support as a Driver for Educational Success among Arab Muslim Canadian Women

The growing numbers of Arab Muslim women leaving the Middle East to study at Canadian universities may seem to contradict with the Westerners’ perception of inflexible universal cultural norms and traditions. For example, Arab fathers mistreat and discourage daughters in pursuing academic achievement. In this study, a representative sample of Arab Muslim women testify that their families and their Islamic faith are some of the main factors that enable them to move to Canada to complete their education. This paper sheds light on the main factors that enable Arab Muslim women who were born and educated in the Middle East to move to Canada for post-secondary studies. The empirical research comprises interviews with nine Arab Muslim women who have left their respective countries of origin to study at a Canadian university. An analysis of the data reveals that paternal support is the indispensable element that determines whether an Arab Muslim woman born and educated in the Middle East is able to pursue post-secondary studies in Canada. This paper contributes to the literature because it contests a variety of widely held stereotypes regarding Arab Muslim society, Arab Muslim immigrants to Canada, Arab Muslim women– as well as others regarding Islaf. It challenges the stereotype of Muslim women as suppressed by their male guardians. As this study demonstrates, a segment of Muslim women receive significant paternal and other male support and encouragement to pursue their higher education and careers.