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Jan 1, 1400
First Nations People
The First Nations people operated on a hunter-gatherer society where all members of the family were valued by the entire band, this meant that women and children had a higher status within the family and community than their European counterparts. Children were also seen spending lots of time with their parents, boys would learn how to hunt from their father and girls would learn how to work in the clearings and tend to plants and the few domesticated animals. -
Jan 1, 1500
European Settlers
The role of children varied between the upper and lower-class of European settlers. Upper class families took great care to ensure their son married a suitable girl who could carry on the family lineage while lower-class families needed children to contribute labour to the family. Upper-class children spent their early childhood with a tutor and lower-class children accompanied an adult to learn their chores from the time they could walk. This resulted in kids having to grow up early. -
Expanding Families of European Settlers
Marriage and children were still viewed as economic necessities at this time, although the dynamic of family for European settlers began to change at this time with inter-generational families coming into existence. Many families began caring for older relatives and for this reason children were now being valued for their future contributions to the family. -
Chinese Immigrants
Chinese immigrants chose to have children to pass on traditions and carry on the family line and be able to serve as an economic asset. Children were also valued for their future ability to care for their grandparents. Poorer families did not value female children due to them marrying and leaving the family just when they were old enough to make an economic contribution. This resulted in female infanticide being commonly practiced in China but also among Chinese immigrants in Canada. -
Greek Immigrants
Greek immigrants value family and children very highly as family is an essential element in the Greek structure of society. Parents raise their children to have a better life than them as they feel that the upward mobility of their children would bring their family more wealth and status. Parents usually transfer wealth to their children when they marry so that they have more money to raise their own family. It's also the norm for parents to assume all costs of education for their children.
